Mr. Lowrie's Science Site
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  • Environmental Systems
    • First Week Stuff
    • Key Terms Glossary
    • Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Science >
      • Chapter 1: Science and the Environment >
        • Section 1: Understanding Our Environment
        • Section 2: The Environment and Society
      • Chapter 2: Tools of Environmental Science >
        • Section 1: Scientific Methods
        • Section 2: Statistics and Models
        • Section 3: Making Informed Decisions
      • Chapter 3: The Dynamic Earth >
        • Section 1: The Geosphere
        • Section 2: The Atmosphere
        • Section 3: The Hydrosphere and Biosphere
    • Unit 2: Ecology >
      • Chapter 4: The Organization of Life >
        • Section 1: Ecosystems: Everything is Connected
        • Section 2: Evolution
        • Section 3: The Diversity of Living Things
      • Chapter 5: How Ecosystems Work >
        • Section 1: Energy Flow in Ecosystems
        • Section 2: The Cycling of Materials
        • Section 3: How Ecosystems Change
      • Chapter 6: Biomes >
        • Section 1: What is a Biome?
        • Section 2: Forest Biomes
        • Section 3: Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes
      • Chapter 7: Aquatic Ecosystems >
        • Section 1: Freshwater Ecosystems
        • Section 2: Marine Ecosystems
    • Unit 3: Populations >
      • Chapter 8: Understanding Populations >
        • Section 1: How Populations Change in Size
        • Section 2: How Species Interact with Each Other
      • Chapter 9: The Human Population >
        • Section 1: Studying Human Populations
        • Section 2: Changing Population Trends
      • Chapter 10: Biodiversity >
        • Section 1: What is Biodiversity?
        • Section 2: Biodiversity at Risk
        • Section 3: The Future of Biodiversity
    • Unit 4: Water, Air, and Land >
      • Chapter 11: Water >
        • Section 1: Water Resources
        • Section 2: Water Use and Management
        • Section 3: Water Pollution
      • Chapter 12: Air >
        • Section 1: What Causes Air Pollution?
        • Section 2: Air, Noise, and Light Pollution
        • Section 3: Acid Precipitation
      • Chapter 13: Atmosphere and Climate Change >
        • Section 1: Climate and Climate Change
        • Section 2: The Ozone Shield
        • Section 3: Global Warming
      • Chapter 14: Land >
        • Section 1: How We Use Land
        • Section 2: Urban Land Use
        • Section 3: Land Management and Conservation
      • Chapter 15: Food and Agriculture >
        • Section 1: Feeding the World
        • Section 2: Crops and Soil
        • Section 3: Animals and Agriculture
    • Unit 5: Mineral and Energy Resources >
      • Chapter 16: Mining and Mineral Resources >
        • Section 1: Minerals and Mineral Resources
        • Section 2: Mineral Exploration and Mining
        • Section 3: Mining Regulations and Mine Reclamation
      • Chapter 17: Nonrenewable Energy >
        • Section 1: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels
        • Section 2: Nuclear Energy
      • Chapter 18: Renewable Energy >
        • Section 1: Renewable Energy Today
        • Section 2: Alternative Energy and Conservation
      • Chapter 19: Waste >
        • Section 1: Solid Waste
        • Section 2: Reducing Solid Waste
        • Section 3: Hazardous Wastes
    • Unit 6: Our Health and Future >
      • Chapter 20: The Environment and Human Health >
        • Section 1: Pollution and Human Health
        • Section 2: Biological Hazards
      • Chapter 21: Economics, Policy, and the Future >
        • Section 1: Economics and International Cooperation
        • Section 2: Environmental Policies in the United States
        • Section 3: The Importance of the Individual
  • AP Environmental Science
    • First Week Stuff
    • Unit I: Humans and Sustainability: An Overview >
      • Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
    • Unit II: Science, Ecological Principles, and Sustainability >
      • Chapter 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems
      • Chapter 3: Ecosystems: What are They and How Do They Work?
      • Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Evolution
      • Chapter 5: Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control
      • Chapter 6: The Human Population and Its Impact
      • Chapter 7: Climate and Biodiversity
      • Chapter 8: Aquatic Biodiversity
    • Unit III: Sustaining Biodiversity >
      • Chapter 9: Sustaining Biodiversity: Saving Species and Ecosystem Services
      • Chapter 10: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: Saving Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services
      • Chapter 11: Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
    • Unit IV: Sustaining Natural Resources >
      • Chapter 12: Food Production and the Environment
      • Chapter 13: Water Resources
      • Chapter 14: Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
      • Chapter 15: Nonrenewable Energy
      • Chapter 16: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
    • Unit V: Sustaining Environmental Quality >
      • Chapter 17: Environmental Hazards and Human Health
      • Chapter 18: Air Pollution
      • Chapter 19: Climate Disruption
      • Chapter 20: Water Pollution
      • Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste
      • Chapter 22: Urbanization and Sustainability
    • Unit VI: Sustaining Human Societies >
      • Chapter 23: Economics, Environment, and Sustainability
      • Chapter 24: Politics, Environment, and Sustainability
      • Chapter 25: Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability
  • Chemistry
    • First Week Stuff
    • Matter

Chapter 3:  Ecosystems:  What are They and How Do They Work?


​Section 1:  How does the Earth's Life-Support System Work?

Concept 3-1A:  The four major components of the earth's life support system are the atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), the geosphere (rock, soil, and sediment), and the biosphere (living things).
​
​Concept 3-1B:  Life is sustained by the flow of energy from the sun through the biosphere, the cycling of nutrients within the biosphere, and gravity.

Section 2:  What are the Major Components of an Ecosystem?

​Concept 3-2:  Some organisms produce the nutrients they need, others get the nutrients they need by consuming other organisms, and some recycle nutrients back to producers by decomposing the wastes and remains of other organisms.
Section 3:  What Happens to Energy in an Ecosystem?

​Concept 3-3:  As energy flows through ecosystems in food chains and webs, the amount of chemical energy available to organisms at each successive feeding level decreases.

Section 4:  What Happens to Matter in an Ecosystem?

​Concept 3-4:  Matter, in the form of nutrients, cycles within and among ecosystems and the biosphere, and human activities are altering these chemical cycles.

Section 5:  How Do Scientists Study Ecosystems?

​Concept 3-5:  Scientists use both field research and laboratory research, as well as mathematical and other models, to learn about ecosystems.

Files:
APES Ch. 3 Presentation
File Size: 8312 kb
File Type: pptx
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APES Ch. 3 Student Notes
File Size: 735 kb
File Type: docx
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APES Ch. 3 Glossary
File Size: 18 kb
File Type: docx
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Key Terms:
  • abiotic
  • aerobic respiration
  • anaerobic respiration
  • Anthropocene
  • aquifer
  • atmosphere
  • autotroph
  • biogeochemical cycle
  • biosphere
  • biotic
  • carbon cycle
  • carnivore
  • community
  • consumer
  • detritivore
  • detritus
  • detritus feeder
  • ecology
  • ecosystem
  • evaporation
  • fermentation
  • food chain
  • food web
  • geosphere
  • greenhouse effect
  • gross primary productivity (GPP)
  • groundwater
  • herbivore
  • heterotroph
  • Holocene
  • hydrologic cycle
  • hydrosphere
  • microorganisms
  • net primary productivity (NPP)
  • nitric oxide (NO)
  • nitrogen cycle
  • nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
  • nutrient cycle
  • omnivore
  • organism
  • phosphorus cycle
  • photosynthesis
  • phytoplankton
  • population
  • precipitation
  • primary consumer
  • producer
  • pyramid of energy flow
  • respiration
  • secondary consumer
  • stratosphere
  • sulfur cycle
  • sulfur dioxide (SO2)
  • surface runoff
  • tertiary (higher-level) consumers
  • transpiration
  • trophic level
  • troposphere
  • water cycle
  • zooplankton
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