UNIT 3 PROJECT
By: Madelyn Pham
MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEM
What an Ecosystem is, About My Ecosystem, & Abiotic and Biotic Factors
An ecosystem is a large community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in a particular area. The living and physical components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. There are many types of ecosystems out there, but the three major classes of ecosystems, referred to as biomes, are freshwater ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, and ocean ecosystems. My ecosystem is known as a terrestrial ecosystem, specifically a mountain ecosystem. in a mountain ecosystem, mountain land provides a scattered and diverse array of habitats where a large number of animals and plants can be found. The animals that live here have thick fur coats for prevention from cold and hibernation in the winter months. Lower slopes are commonly covered with coniferous forests. Every ecosystem is made up of abiotic and biotic factors. In this ecosystem some abiotic factors would be water, snow, sunlight, the strong and cold winds, soil type, and the temperature. Some biotic factors would be plants, animals, fungi, algae, and bacteria. The abiotic factors make it a perfect living environment for the organisms that live in the mountains. They also help some of the organisms survive. As for biotic factors, the organisms help the ecosystem run smoothly.
FOOD WEB & ENERGY PYRAMID:
The first picture that appears is a food chain that correlates to the mountain ecosystem. The first level contains producers and decomposers and the next levels show consumers. As you progress up the picture the amount of consumers slims down and the organisms become bigger than the consumers in the primary level. This is because the higher the organism is up the chain, the more it can eat other species and have a lower density because it had a harder chance to find a mate but it has various resources available to them. As for the second picture that appears, It's an energy pyramid (also known as trophic pyramid). This picture is the same as the one before but instead of showing what animals are vulnerable to which, this picture shows the basic structure of interaction through animals and how food energy is passed from one trophic level to the next along the food chain. The base of the pyramid is composed of species called autotrophs, the primary producers of the ecosystem. All other organisms in the ecosystem are consumers called heterotrophs, which either directly or indirectly depend on the primary producers for food energy.
HUMAN INVOLVEMENT IN ECOSYSTEM INTERACTION
Reflection Essay
As humans, we are not entirely aware of the damage that we cause to our ecosystems. We break things down for our own needs and this tampers with how poorly our ecosystems are operating right now. An example of how reckless we are just to fulfill our needs is cutting down bambu for furniture and flooring. This affects the life of panda's and how we could endanger them because bambu is their only food source. With a species gone because of our lifestyle, the food chain and everything would be a mess and everything would result in a downfall in population for all species. What us humans do, will have an affect on our future.
CARBON CYCLE:
This picture shows the cycle of photosynthesis and cellular respiration which together is known as the carbon cycle. Photosynthesis, as one should know, is a process in which plants do through to provide other organisms oxygen and glucose, meanwhile the organisms receiving from the producers, do through cellular respiration which produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
WATER CYCLE:
This is a picture of the water cycle and how it processes which goes from evaporation, condensation, to precipitation.
ANALYSIS OF CARBON FOOTPRINT AND HOW IT APPLIES TO ECOSYSTEM
After taking the carbon footprint test I have learned that the way I'm living is not beneficial to the earth and actually harms it. At this rate, we would need 3.5 earths to be able to live sufficiently and our overshoot day would be April 15. In order to reduce the harm being done to earth to save it we would need to reduce the amount of transportation use because of the pollution, reduce the amount of electricity, use resources wisely, etc. By living inadequately we are also harming all ecosystems.
HOW TO REDUCE PERSONAL IMPACT WITHIN ECOSYSTEM
Reflective Essay
Reducing personal needs are not only good for the ecosystems but also will benefit's one's living. In order to save our ecosystems we need to watch our water usage, go paper less, recycle, look for power saving alternatives, carpool or find another way to transport places (ex. riding a bike), be clean, and don't be an inadvertent waster.
WORK CITED
“Biotic and Abiotic Factors.” Qinling Mountains, qinlingmountains.weebly.com/biotic-and-abiotic-factors.html.
“Energy Pyramid.” MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEM, mountainecosystem12.weebly.com/energy-pyramid.html.
“How Many Planets Does It Take to Sustain Your Lifestyle?” Ecological Footprint Calculator, www.footprintcalculator.org/result1.
“Blog.” Castle Chemicals, castlechem.com.au/10-ways-to-reduce-your-environmental-impact-at-work-and-save-money/.