Changes in Ecosystems

Chapter 4

Cycle

A cycle is a regular pattern of change. Seasons, the water cycle, and the carbon cycle are all examples of cycles.

Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere is the system of all the water on Earth. It includes oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater.

Monsoons

Monsoons are winds that change direction with the seasons. They bring wet and dry seasons to places like India and Southeast Asia.

Water Cycle

The water cycle is the movement of water from Earth’s surface into the atmosphere and back again. It includes evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and percipitation.

Transpiration

Transpiration is when tiny openings in plant leaves, called stomata allow water vapor to move out of the plant and into the air.

Condensation

Condensation is the process of water vapor cooling and changing back into lquid. this is how clouds form in the atmosphere.

Percipitation

Percipitation is water that falls from clouds back to Earth. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all forms of percipitation.

Groundwater

Groundwater is percipitation that soaks into the ground and is stored there. It can come back out of the ground as springs or theough wells.

Phtosynthesis

During photosynthesis, plants use water, carbon dioxide from the air, and energy from the sun to make sugar molecules and realease oxygen.

Cellar Respiration

Cellular respiration is the process in which organisms use sugar molecules and oxygen to produce energy. It realeses carbon dioxide as a result.

How are carbon cycle and oxygen cycle connected?

They are closley linked because they work together through photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Plants take in carbon dioxide and realse oxygen during photosynthesis, while organisms realease carbon dioxide during celluar respiration.

Decomposition

Decomposition is when bacteria, fungi, and other decomposers break down the bodies of dead things. This releases carbon back into the enviorment.

What role do fungi play in the ecosystem?

Fungi are decomposers. They help break down dead plants and aimals, returning nutrients and carbon to the enviorment.

Why is nitrogen important, and how do organisms get it?

Organisms need nitrogen to make protiens. Nitrogen gas in the air cannot be used directly, so soil bacteria change it into nitrates, a form that plants and other organisms can use.

What is stress on an ecosystem?

A stress is any physical hazard to life caused by having too much or too little of something needed for life. Fires, floods, and droughts are examples of stresses on ecosystems.

What is succession?

Succession is a series of gradual changes that occur in an ecosystem over time. Early stages are often started by pioneer species.

How can a fire be helpful to an ecosystem?

Fires can cause nutrients from dead trees and plants to be recycled back into the soil, which helps new plants grow.

What does an aquatic ecologist do?

An aquatic ecologist is a scientist who studies ecosystems that are in or near water, observing how living things and their watery enviorments affect each other.

How do the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle work together?

The cycles depend on each other. For example, rain helps carry nitrogen into the soil, which helps plants grow. Plants are important for carbon and ozygen cycles. If one cycle stopped, the others would be affected too.

What is habitat destruction, and why does it matter?

Habitate destruction is when the natural home of a plant or animal is damaged or removed by human activity. It is a man-made stress on ecosystems that can harm or wipe out the species living there.