C5 Terrestrial & Aquatic Ecosystems

a system that can exchange mass + energy (usually heat) - e.g. tree, ecosystem

an assemblage of parts + the relationship between them, which together constitute as a whole OPEN: a system that can exchange mass + energy (usually heat) - e.g. tree, ecosystem CLOSED: a system that can exchange energy but not mass - e.g. Earth, terrarium ISOLATED: a system that can exchange neither mass nor energy - e.g. thermos

systems: a way of visualising a complex set of interactions by looking at it as a whole reductionist: divides systems into parts, which are studied separately

In order to understand our impact on an ecosystem, we must understand how it works as a whole (all interactions and relationships within it).

• individual: one organism • population: group of organisms from the same species • community: a group of populations living together in the same geographical area • ecosystem: all the biotic and abiotic factors within an area • biome: a large geographical area with distinct flora/fauna, found across different regions • biosphere: the zone of Earth where life is supported

ABIOTIC: all factors that are non-living. - climate (temp, rainfall, wind, light intensity) - chemical (pH of soil/water, salinity, availability of gases) - other resources (landforms, soil type, water drainage, nesting materials etc) BIOTIC: all factors that are living. - animals - plants - fungi - bacteria - protists

Small: - decaying log - under a rock - rock pools Large: - tropical rainforest - savannah/grassland

water vapour changes state from gas to liquid

water changes state from liquid to gas

describes the movement of ALL water evaporating from the land into the atmosphere, including: - transpiration from plants - evaporation from water bodies - evaporation from land surface/soil

water evaporates from plants (i.e. leaves)

a gas floating in the air

when fluid overflows from an area

water in ALL states that falls to Earth, including: - rain - snow - sleet - hail

the movement of water between land, bodies of water, and the atmosphere

the water present beneath the Earth’s surface, located in rock and soil pore spaces

the movement of water through the soil and fractured/porous rock

the entry of water into a soil or rock surface

a reservoir that provides storage for water, such as lakes, ponds, and the ocean

the process of creating organic compounds by autotrophs

organisms that use photosynthesis to make their own energy - producers - drive primary production Includes: - plants + algae - some protists - some bacteria

• a carbon-based compound • at least one carbon is bonded to an atom of another type (usually N, H or O) • e.g. carbs, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids

6 CO2 + 6 H2O -> (via sun’s energy + chlorophyll) → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Oceanic/marine: single celled plants, algae/protists, bacteria (PHYTOPLANKTON) Freshwater: commonly plants + algae