ecosystems, biomes, natural resources

1. Earth & Space Science
Unit 3 Review
The Biosphere

2. When a hypothesis is
repeatedly supported
by scientific data, it
may become a .
State the Problem
(as a ?)
Do Background
Research
"Best Guess"
Solution
Design (Materials &
Procedures)
Perform (Collect &
Analyze Data)
Report Results
so others can verify
Hypothesis is
False or Partly True
Hypothesis is True
Adjust
hypothesis &
try again
Conclusion
Experiment
Hypothesis
Observation
What are the steps of the
Scientific Method?

3. How do They Interact?
What are Earth’s Four Spheres?
Geosphere
• Rocks
Biosphere
• Life
Hydrosphere
• Water
Atmosphere
• Air

4. World Biomes

5. • What factors affect climate?
– Latitude
• angle of the sun hitting the Earth
– Topography
• elevation and proximity to large bodies of water
– Ocean & wind currents
• What is the difference between weather, climate, biome & ecosystem?
– Weather is a short-term, local description of the atmosphere
• i.e. stormy, rain expected, high winds today, overnight low of 46o
– Climate describes a larger region's typical atmospheric condition
• i.e. average annual temperature/rainfall/humidity
• temperate, tropical, polar/arctic, alpine, arid
– Biomes define a large region's typical atmosphere plus the soil and water conditions and
living organisms that inhabit the area
• i.e. rich soil, few trees, great diversity of animal life, salt water
• includes all climate descriptions
– Ecosystems are localized groups of organisms interacting with each other and the
environment (water/soil/weather) around them
• i.e. grass gets nutrients from soil, sun & rain which feeds a grasshopper who is eaten by a
snake who becomes an owl's dinner which is decomposed by bacteria when it dies

6. Major Biomes of the World
• Aquatic
– Cover 75% of Earth's surface
– Freshwater & marine
• includes shorelines, wetlands & estuaries
– Little temperature variance
– Huge diversity of species
• algae, bull kelp, reeds & shoreline trees
• zooplankton, fish, birds & mammals
• Desert
– Extreme day/night or summer/winter temperatures
– Very low precipitation (inland, below tropics)
– Sandy/rocky, poor soil
– Plants
• cacti with spines, waxy cuticle, or "fur"
• extra water storage & deep or diffuse roots
– Animals
• nocturnal, burrow or hide during day
• light color for camouflage, efficient kidneys

7. • Tundra
– Cold year-round (permafrost) in far North
– Very little rainfall (lowest humidity)
– Arctic (latitude) & Alpine (elevation)
– Plants adapted to short growing season
• low-growing shrubs, grass, moss
• lichen (fungi & algae) with shallow roots
– Animals hibernate or migrate, thick fur/fat, white
fur/feathers for camouflage
• Fish, insects, birds & grazing mammals
• Grassland
– Rich, fertile soil
– Moderately warm and wet
– Plants
• tall grass, sedges & flowers
• sparse, stubby trees
– Animals
• brown skin/fur/feathers for camouflage
• migratory, traveling in mutualistic communities
• grazers, fast predators, burrowing mammals, birds, insects
& snakes
Major Biomes

8. Forest Biomes
• Taiga (Boreal)
– Largest of land biomes, Northern Hemisphere
– Short, moist summers & long, dark/cold winters
– Soil is thin and lacking in nutrients (cold slows decay)
– Plants adapted to heavy winter snows
• dense coniferous forest, sparse floor vegetation
– Animals migrate, hibernate, summer/winter camouflage
• insects, birds & mammals
• Temperate Deciduous
– Four distinct seasons (trees lose leaves in fall)
– Soil is rich (from decaying leaves)
– Plants adapted to seasonal temperature changes (bark)
• Greatly variety of broadleaf trees, shrubs & wildflowers
– Animals still burrow, hibernate & migrate in winter
• Warm enough for some exothermic animals to live
• Tropical Rainforest
– Very warm all year & lots of rainfall (with a "dry" season)
– Located near equator (12 hours of daylight all year long)
– Soil is poor because constant rains wash away nutrients
– Plants compete for light & nutrients (vines, orchids, etc.)
• Tall trees w/ shallow roots & thin bark (Palms, mangroves, etc.)
• Bromeliads, ferns & mosses live on branches (epiphytes)
– Animals brightly colored, compete fiercely for food & mating
• Incredible diversity of species

9. Ecosystems
Biotic Factors
• Producers (plants)
– autotrophs (use photosynthesis to make own food)
• Consumers (animals)
– heterotrophs (eat other things for food)
• herbivores eat plants
• carnivores eat other animals
• omnivores eat both plants and animals
• Decomposers (fungi, bacteria & some animals)
– saprotrophs (get their food from dead things)
• detritivores eat dead things
• scavengers are vertebrate heterotrophs (consumers) that
feed on dead animals
Abiotic Factors
• Surrounding Environment
– sun, soil, water, air, temperature, etc.

10. Chains, Webs & Pyramids

11. Species Interactions
• Competitive
– different species compete for limited resources
• food, shelter, water, etc.
• Predator/Prey
– One animal hunts, kills and eats the other for food
• Symbiotic (live in close relationship together)
– Parasite/Host
• Parasite lives on/in host, taking energy
without immediately killing it
– Mutualistic
• Two species both benefit from each
other
– Commensal
• One benefits while the other is
unaffected
– Neutral
• Neither species is harmed or benefits

12. Six
Kingdoms
• Animals
• Plants
• Fungi
• Protists
• Bacteria
• Archaea
6

13. Biodiversity
• Many different species increases an
ecosystem's stability
• Extinction reduces biodiversity
– habitat loss and degradation (climate change)
– excessive nutrient load
and pollution
– over-exploitation and
unsustainable use
– invasive species

14. • All living organisms are made up of cells.
– All cells have DNA, cytoplasm, & a cell membrane
– There are two major cell types:
PROKARYOTIC Cells
– Bacteria and archaea
– Tiny
– No nucleus or organelles
EUKARYOTIC Cells
– Plants, animals, fungi and protists
– Larger and more complex
– Have an enclosed nucleus
– Have membrane-bound organelles
Cell Types - How are they Different?

15. Kingdom Bacteria
(a.k.a. Eubacteria)
• Single-cell organisms
• "True Bacteria"
– some make us sick
– some help us live
– some make cheese
• Different shapes
– Bacilli (rod-shape)
• E. coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus
– Cocci (round chains/clusters)
• Streptococcus, Staphylococcus
– Spirilla (stringy spirals)
• Campylobacter, Treponema

16. Kingdom Archaea
(a.k.a. Archaebacteria)
• Tiny, single-cell prokaryotes
• Many live in extreme conditions:
– very hot/cold, deep/dark
– acidic or sulfuric
• DNA & metabolism
different than bacteria

17. Protists
(Kingdom Protista)
Amoeba Paramecium Giardia
Water Mold Slime Mold
Euglena Dinoflagellates DiatomBrown AlgaeGreen Algae
Fungus-
Like
P
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t
-
L
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• Eukaryotic
– cells have a nucleus
• Most are single-celled
• All eukaryotic organisms
that aren't plants, animal, or
fungi

18. Fungi
(Kingdom Fungi)
• Eukaryotic
• Multi-cellular
• Heterotrophic
– feed on decaying organisms
• Sessile organisms
– cannot move
• Molds, mildew, mushrooms,
lichens, yeast

19. Plants
(Kingdom Plantae)
Bryophyte (Moss)
Pteridophytes
(Ferns)
Conifers (cone-
bearing plants)
Angiosperms (flowering plants)
• Eukaryotic
• Multi-cellular
• Autotrophic
– produce own food
• Sessile
– cannot change location

20. Animals
(Kingdom Animalia)
• All eukaryotic, multi-cellular, heterotrophic, and motile
• Common Phyla:
– Porifera
• sponges, corals
– Cnidaria & Ctenophora
• jellyfish and comb jellies
– Platyhelmenthes
• flat worms, tapeworms
– Nematoda
• small unsegmented worms
– Mollusca
• clams, oysters, etc.
– Annelida
• segmented worms
– Echinodermata
• starfish and anemones
– Arthropoda
• crustaceans, insects, spiders
– Chordata
• those with spinal chords: birds,
mammals, amphibians, bony fish, etc.

21. • NATURAL RESOURCE:
– Anything naturally occurring on our planet
that is necessary or useful to humans
The Earth’s Resources
• Renewable Resource:
Resources that can be
replenished by natural
processes at least as
quickly as they are
used.
• Nonrenewable
Resource:
Resources being used
up faster than they can
be replaced by natural
processes.

22. Renewable vs. Nonrenewable
• Sunlight*
• Fresh Water
• Hydroelectric* energy
• Air & Wind* energy
• Land (for agriculture)
• Plants & Animals
• Biomass Fuels
• Geothermal* energy
* Inexhaustible resources
• Fossil Fuels
– Coal, oil, natural
gas
• Minerals
– Metals, gems, &
nonmetals
• Land (for building)
• Radioactive
Elements

23. AIR POLLUTION
An increase in the content of harmful substances
(pollutants) in the lower atmosphere.
– Pollutants come from:
• Emissions (vehicles, manufacturing plants,
charcoal grills, lawnmowers)
• Smoke (forest fires, wood stoves, etc.)
• Natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, )
• Man-made disasters (warfare, oil spills, etc.)
– Consequences include:
• Health hazards for humans/animals (lung problems,
high blood pressure, eye irritation, cancer, etc.)
• Reduced plant growth (food supply shortage)
• Acid rain
• Greenhouse effect
• Ozone layer destruction (global climate change)

25. Water
• Drinking water
– required for all cellular reactions &
transport of chemicals
• Irrigation
– to grow food crops, water lawns, etc.
• Sanitation
– laundry, showers, dishes & other household uses
• Recreation
– swimming, river rafting, water-skiing,
sailing, fishing, etc.
• Landscaping
– fountains, streams/ponds
• Manufacturing
– paper, paint, food/beverages, drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, cleaners, metals, etc.
• The average American uses
150-250 gallons of water EVERY DAY!

26. WATER POLLUTION
• Contamination of water
– Pipes
• lead dissolves into water
– Litter/household garbage
– Farming
• fertilizers and pesticides
• algal "blooms"
– Industry waste
• mercury salts, sulfates, minerals
– Runoff
• chemicals from impermeable surfaces
– Sewage
• disease-causing organisms

27. Solar Power
• Powers photosynthesis
• Solar heating
– greenhouses
– solar cookers
– water heating
• Solar power plants

28. Geothermal Energy
• Electricity generation
– Power plants require water or
steam at high temperatures (300°
to 700°F)
– Geothermal power plants built
where geothermal reservoirs are
located within a mile or two of the
surface
• Heat pumps
– use stable ground or water
temperatures near Earth's surface
to control building temperatures
above ground
• Direct use
– hot water from springs or reservoirs near surface
– used for bathing or heating homes