Earth's Major Spheres

What are Earth’s major spheres?

Geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere

What is the Geosphere/lithosphere?

Land. The geosphere contains all of the solid, rocky land of the earth’s surface, the semi-solid land underneath the crust, and the liquid near the center of the planet

What is the hydrosphere?

Water. Includes all water found on earth’s surface

What is the biosphere?

Living things

What is the atmosphere?

Air (the gaseous part of earth)

What is the rule. of the sun’s energy in earth’s spheres?

the amount of solar energy that reaches different regions of eath varies so it heats earth’s surface unevenly

Wha happens to solar energy that reaches earth?

absorbed and reflected by earth’s atmosphere and earth’s surface

What do earth’s major wind system result from?

• convection currents

  • warm air near Earth’s surface rises and cools

  • cool air is denser and sinks creating wind that moves warm and cool air around earth

• Coriolis effect (a change in the direction of moving air, water, or other objects due to earth’s rotation")

What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a smaller function within the environment. It is the unique interaction between the living and non-living elements. An ecosystem is a community functioning together as one unit.

What are biotic parts?

living parts of an environment

What are Abiotic parts?

Non-living parts of an environment

What is a food chain?

A model that describes how food energy is passed from one living thing to another

How does energy flow?

Energy flows from producers (plants) to primary consumers (herbivores) and to secondary tertiary consumers (carnivores)

What is each step in a food chain called?

Trophic level

How much food every can be passed from consumer to consumer?

only 10%

What are producers?

Living things that make their food to get energy they need to live (becomes energy source)

What is a food web?

a model of feeding relationships shows a network of interacting and overlapping food chains

What are consumers?

living things that eat producers or other consumers to get energy they needed

What are herbivores?

primary consumers that eat plants

What are carnivores?

secondary consumers that eat primary consumers

What are omnivores?

eat both plants and animals-interconnected food chains form a food web

What are detrivores?

eat bodies of small dead organisms/plant matter and animal wastes