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Bio Organisms in Water

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Energy and nutrients – Chapter 7
Sources of energy: light, organic, and inorganic molecules

Rate of energy acquisition is limited
Optimal foraging theory helps explain choice and location of food items

Question:

How on Earth life is being fed ?

Energy use and kingdoms
How energy is obtained? Who captures Bacteria the most? What is the message here? What is PAR? (next) Animals Protists Heterotrophic PhotoChemosynthetic trophic

 








Plants
Fungi




 

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Energy use and kingdoms
What is PAR? Photosynthetically active radiation Measured by photon flux. Photon flux – the number of photons striking 1m2/second Visible light (400-700 nanometers) carries ~45% of solar energy at sea level Three pathways for using this energy: 1. C3 (photosynthesis) – C3 plants 2. C4 – C4 plants 3. CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism)

Question:
What ecological consequences do these biochemical pathways of photosynthesis have?

C3 vs C4 plants
C4 plants use lower concentration of CO 2: - can afford to open stomata less than C 3 plants - conserve water The two pathways involve different number of carbon atoms in the initial photosynthate (3 vs 4) CAM plants combine day and night phases with C 3 pathway – very efficient water use

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Question:
Are needs for nitrogen different between plants and animals? If yes, why?

Why does nitrogen take center stage?
Can you get nitrogen from the air (recall 1M03)?

What is it for?

So, how do we get it?
Do all organisms contain the same amount of nitrogen? C:N ratio (concept)

C:N ratio
C:N ratio tells us if the biomass is rich in protein Since animals, bacteria, and fungi have low C:N ratios, they must obtain much more nitrogen per unit of biomass (or C): Eating plants or each other is a solution Some plant material is of low value
Explains why many buffalo, antelopes but few lumber jacks .

High C:N ratio; low nutrition value – do not feed children with wood chips

Low C:N ratio; high nutrition value

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Question:
But what is the plant perspective on the preference for greens?

Predation shapes plant chemistry
Both marine and terrestrial plants are more defended in the tropics
Why? More consistent and diverse attacks on plants in the tropics Result: a suite of anti-predatory defenses

Flexibility in resource use
Because nutritional values of various prey is similar, it allows predators to match their diet to what is locally available European otter diet changes from north to south; note the fish are in blue

Portugal England Shetlands

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Chemical energy
In ocean depths, a different chain of energy acquisition develops

Symbiosis
Symbiosis is quite common; nitrogen fixing, corals, …

Question:
Does the amount of food consumed change depending on how much is available?

Is this change regular or can it take different forms?

Functional responses
How much a predator eats depends on prey density But it does not depend in the same way ..
Three types of response: Shapes: - linear - gradually saturating - slow to start They tell us how an animal finds or handles prey glutton

mechanical

connoisseur

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Optimal foraging theory
Is based on balancing the energy invested and energy gained (optimization)
Can be applied to plants; helps predict the best way of using water and nutrients Low prey capture rate and high search effort are bad news

Optimization in plants
Root length changes in response to water availability? Same applies to other nutrients – plants optimize resource allocation
Root:shoot ratio – a measure of relative importance of above and below ground parts
Root:shoot ratio

More nitrogen -> less roots relative to the rest of the plant

Question:
Can a simple theoretical index (C:N ratio) help with management of environmental problems?

How, any suggestions?

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Applying C:N ratio knowledge
Cyanide, CN, removed from gold mine ore Ore contains much N (1:1 ratio) but not much carbon

Bacteria eating CN have C:N = 5, so …
Thus adding sugar (C) to the ore speeds consumption of CN

Summary
Organisms use three sources of energy: light, organic, and inorganic molecules Only a fraction of energy contained in the three sources can effectively be used Optimum foraging theory helps to understand how costs and benefits of energy acquisition affects organisms (reading, skip math) Knowledge of nutrient requirements aids in new technologies (sewage, toxic compounds)

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