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Gamma
Alpha
Beta
Few factors that influence organisms
Few niches
Ex. the poles
Many factors that influence organisms
Many niches
Equator
Reduce competitive exclusion between other species (through predation)
Are mutualists, and perform important functions (parasite removal, movement of seeds)
Ammonium oxidation (NH4+)
Methane oxidation (CH4)
Reduced sulfur oxidation (H2S)
Gross Primary Production
Net Primary Production
During the spring, sun-heated freshwater runoff from the Mississippi River creates a barrier layer in the Gulf, cutting off the saltier water below from contact with oxygen in the air
Nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer and sewage in the freshwater later ignite huge algae blooms when the algae die, they sink into the saltier water below and decompose, using up oxygen in the deeper water
Starved of oxygen and cut off from resupply, the deeper water becomes a dead zone. Fish avoid the area or die in massive numbers. Tiny organisms that form the vital base of the Gulf food chain also die. Winter brings respite, but spring runoff start the cycle anew
Loss of energy as it is transferred is inevitable
not all biomass is edible
not all biomass is accessible to be eaten
of the NPP available to primary consumers, only 4% is passed up and is available to secondary consumers
Each successive level occurs in lower abundances
Essential to energetics, genetics, and structure of living systems (main component of ATP, RNA, DNA, and phospholipid molecule)
not very abundant in the biosphere
Does not have an atmospheric reservoir
Can be a limiting factor for aquatic primary production, not usually for terrestrial primary production
Phosphorus is tied up in mineral deposits and marine sediment
Phosphorus is usually (naturally) released to ecosystems through weathering of rocks
Plants take up phosphate ions from soil or water and incorporate them directly into tissue
Animals gain phosphate by eating these tissues, or from tissues of other organisms
Animals eliminate excess phosphorus through urine
Phosphate in water can sometimes be precipitated into the sediment under the right conditions
Important to structure and functioning of organisms
May limit rates of primary production in terrestrial and marine systems
one of the biggest reservoirs is the atmosphere (78% N)
Microbes play a BIG role in the nitrogen cycle
Ammonium
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Nitrogen gas
Nitric oxide
Nitrogen fixation
Immobilization
Mineralization (ammonification)
Nitrification
Denitrification