6.3 How does a tropical rainforest ecosystem function?

Transcription

1 6.3 How does a tropical rainforest ecosystem function?

2 What is an ecosystem? What are the components of an ecosystem? Ecosystem Abiotic components Biotic components Environment Plants Animals

3 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? Microscopic Decomposers organisms Producers Plants They may be Consumers Animals classified Biotic into different components trophic refer (feeding) to living categories. things.

4 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 1 Producers Producers are green plants. They can produce their own food by. photosynthesis Carbon dioxide Water at the presence of Sunlight Oxygen Chlorophyll Food

5 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers Primary consumers: feed directly on producers Secondary Consumers are animals. They cannot consumers: feed on produce their own food. primary consumers Tertiary consumers: feed on secondary consumers

6 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers A crocodile eats animals. It is a. carnivore A rabbit eats plants only. We can It classify is a. herbivore the consumers by their Humans diet. eat both plants and animals. They are. omnivores

7 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers Producers and consumers make up a food chain. Rainforest tree (Producer) A food chain usually starts with a producer and ends with a secondary consumer or tertiary consumer. Grasshopper (Primary consumer) Lizard (Secondary consumer)

8 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 2 Consumers In a tropical rainforest, individual food chains are interlocked at various levels to form a food web.

9 What are the biotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? 3 Decomposers Decomposers such as fungi and bacteria break down dead plant and animal tissues. They secrete enzymes to break down dead organic materials into inorganic matter. Plants can absorb them easily. Fungi are an example of decomposers

10 What are the abiotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? Abiotic components refer to the non-living things. They are found in: Air Precipitation Solar radiation Atmosphere Water at the earth s surface Underground water Hydrosphere Soil Rocks Lithosphere

11 What are the abiotic components in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? carbon dioxide rivers and lakes weathered rocks oxygen rainfall Can you categorize solar radiation the following abiotic components Abiotic and components state their importance to plants and animals? Atmosphere Hydrosphere carbon dioxide rainfall oxygen solar radiation rivers and lakes ground water ground water organic materials from soil Lithosphere weathered rocks organic materials They provide An They It input provides of from drinking photosynthesis water nutrients soil water It An provides input and An living of input moisture the habitats respiration of the in for the for the soil of They provide photosynthesis living for nutrients animals. the of organisms. plants. plants. of for of plants.

12 How are biotic and abiotic components linked in a tropical rainforest ecosystem? Biotic and abiotic components are closely linked by: Energy flow Nutrient cycling

13 Why is a tropical rainforest a fragile ecosystem? (Credit: K. Wothe/Blickwinkel) This As That mentioned biomass means a is high before, vulnerable proportion most to nutrients various of the energy in disturbances, the tropical and nutrient such as rainforest is stored fires above are deforestation. stored ground. in the biomass.

14 Why is a tropical rainforest a fragile ecosystem? (Credit: Joerg Boethling/Still Pictures) As the rainforests support the wildlife there, destroying the rainforest will cause the rainforest ecosystem to collapse.

15 Why is a tropical rainforest a fragile ecosystem? Removal of trees caused by a The biomass stores most of sudden change in climate or the nutrients in a rainforest. external agents Loss of stored nutrients No supply of nutrients to the soil created through decomposition Soil depletion Collapse of the ecosystem Animals die No regrowth of trees

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18 Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Energy There are flow five is trophic the transfer levels of in energy a tropical through rainforest various living ecosystem. organisms along the food web. Input of solar energy T 1 Producers T 2 Primary consumers T 3 Secondary consumers T 4 Tertiary consumers T 5 Decomposers The sun is the primary source of energy that maintains the ecosystem. Energy is passed along the food chain or food web.

19 Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Net input of energy at each tropic level Energy loss through transpiration or respiration Heat loss through respiration Energy loss through decay and decomposition Input of solar energy T 1 Producers T 2 Primary consumers T 3 Secondary consumers T 4 Tertiary consumers T 5 Decomposers Producers Some energy carry is lost out during photosynthesis the transpiration, with the input respiration of solar and decomposition. energy.

20 Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Net input of energy at each tropic level Energy loss through transpiration or respiration Heat loss through respiration Energy loss through decay and decomposition Input of solar energy T 1 Producers T 2 Primary consumers T 3 Secondary consumers T 4 Tertiary consumers Energy not being used T 5 Decomposers When Since primary consumers cannot eat the fully producers digest as the food, energy producers, is transferred the remains to of them. producers are being processed by decomposers.

21 Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Net input of energy at each tropic level Energy loss through transpiration or respiration Heat loss through respiration Energy loss through decay and decomposition Input of solar energy T 1 Producers T 2 Primary consumers T 3 Secondary consumers T 4 Tertiary consumers Energy not being used Energy not being used Energy not being used T 5 Decomposers The higher energy the flow tropic carries level on (except at different decomposers), tropic levels. the ( less / more ) the energy remains.

22 Trophic pyramid A trophic pyramid shows the amount of organic matter of the living organisms in an area. As the trophic level increases, the amount of organic matter of each tropic level ( decreases / increases ).

23 Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Nutrient cycle refers to the circulation of nutrients from the environment to organisms and back to the environment. Environment Organisms Biomass Litter Nutrients are circulated among three stores Soil

24 Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem A Biomass Biomass refers to the total weight of living organisms, i.e. plants and animals, of an area. Nutrients are stored in plants and animals. Amount of nutrients transferred Plants consume nutrients from the soil and sun s energy to produce their own tissues through photosynthesis. When animals eat plants, they take up the nutrients and convert plant tissues to their own tissues. Biomass Soil Uptake by plants

25 Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Amount of nutrients B Litter transferred Litter Littering Biomass Dead plants tissues, dead animals and animal wastes accumulate on the ground to form a layer of litter. The falling rain dissolves minerals, e.g. nitrogen and carbon in the air, and add the nutrients to the litter. Some of the nutrients may be washed away by run-off.

26 Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Amount of nutrients C Soil transferred Litter Nutrients decomposed from litter Soil Input from weathered rock When litter is decomposed, the nutrients are broken down into inorganic form and stored in the soil. Weathering of rocks contributes nutrients to the soil. Nutrients of soil may lose through leaching.

27 Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem In tropical rainforests, the nutrient store of biomass is huge, but the stores in soil and litter are small. Litter Amount of nutrients transferred Most nutrients are stored in the dense vegetation Much input from rainfall Litter is quickly decomposed Heavy rain causes strong leaching Biomass Soil Quick uptake by plants