Ecosystems and the Biosphere: Energy Flow and Recycling PPT / Notes

Topic: Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 1
Energy Flow Through the Biosphere and the Recycling of Matter

76-slide PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Ecology is one of the "must-teach" topics for any biology or life science class. What would a good biology class be without a strong unit (or units!) in Ecology? This colorful and visually appealing PowerPoint may be just what you need to spice up your ecology lessons. Our students are the decision makers of tomorrow. It is imperative that we give them the ecological knowledge (global warming, greenhouse effect, habitat destruction) they need so that they can make informed decisions about our future.

There is so much material to teach in a unit on Ecology that it can be overwhelming. I have divided the information into 6 separate units of instruction:
1. Introduction to Ecology
2. Population Ecology
3. Community Ecology
4. Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 1: Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter
5. Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 2: Biomes of the World
6. Humans and the Environment

Please Note: This product is just for the fourth topic of instruction: Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 1: Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter

If you have never taught a lesson using a Powerpoint presentation, you have to give it a try! My students always prefer this to a traditional lecture. The use of eye-catching photos and diagrams rarely fails to stimulate a lively class discussion.

This PowerPoint is on "Ecosystems and the Biosphere: Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter". It consists of 76 slides that are colorful, informative and visually stimulating. Pictures and diagrams are included that will greatly enhance your instruction to your students. This product also includes a set of notes for the teacher (10 pages) and a set of notes for the student (15 pages). Graphics, diagrams, clip art, and photographs were chosen to capture the attention of the student as the lesson is being taught.

Topics covered in this lesson are:
1. Energy Flow Through the Ecosystem: Sunlight as a source of energy, importance of photosynthesis, conversion of energy into glucose and other organic compounds.
2. Autotrophs, producers, examples of autotrophs, chemoautotrophs and chemosynthesis.
3. Heterotrophs, consumers, examples of heterotrophs, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, detritivores, decomposers, the essential nature of decomposition.
4. Feeding Relationships: One way flow of energy through the ecosystem, food chains, examples of food chains, food webs, trophic levels, primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers.
5. Productivity of the Ecosystem: Two ways to measure productivity, gross primary productivity, the role of glucose in productivity, biomass, net primary productivity, factors that determine productivity in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
6. Energy transfer between trophic levels, ecological pyramids, percentage of energy that moves up to the next trophic level, reasons why the transfer of energy is so low.
7. Given a hypothetical food chain, the student will identify the autotroph, the primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer as well as calculate the amount of energy passed to each trophic level.
8. Ecosystem recycling: the recycling of matter, the essential need to recycle carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus, biogeochemical cycles.
9. Water Cycle: Location of water, evaporation, precipitation, transpiration, condensation, steps to water cycle, students will complete a diagram of the water cycle.
10. The Carbon Cycle: The importance of carbon to organic compounds, the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the carbon cycle, the role of erosion and volcanic activity in the carbon cycle, decomposition, burning of fossil fuels, steps to the carbon cycle, the student will label a diagram of the carbon cycle, the human impact on the carbon cycle.
11. The Nitrogen Cycle: The importance of nitrogen in building proteins and nucleic acids, nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, denitrification, assimilation, the role of various bacteria in the nitrogen cycle, students will label a diagram of the nitrogen cycle.
12. The Phosphorus Cycle: The importance of phosphorus to ATP and nucleotides, the movement of phosphorus through the ecosystem.
13. Limiting nutrients

This PowerPoint was written with a typical biology I class in mind. It can easily be edited to meet your needs.

Also included is a set of notes to accompany this PowerPoint. It includes a complete set of notes for the teacher, and an outline of the notes for the students. Students will use the outline as the PowerPoint is being presented and will fill in the notes as the lesson is being taught. I always include both the Word document and a pdf of the notes.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for looking.

Related products include:

Introduction to Ecology PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Population Ecology PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Community Ecology PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 2: Biomes of the World PowerPoint and Notes

Humans and the Environment PowerPoint and Notes

FREE Set of Six Ecology Crossword Puzzles

FREE! Backyard Ecology: An Ecological Assessment of Your Back Yard

Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter Review Questions and Answers

Quiz: Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter Through the Ecosystem

Amy Brown (Science Stuff)