The Non-living Environment

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The Non-living Environment

• Obj. 4a

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Abiotic vs. Biotic

• The features of the environment that are or once
  were alive are called biotic factors (biotic
  means living)
• Biotic Factors are not the only parts of the
  environment that are important to life.
• Most plants cannot grow without sunlight, air,
  water, and soil
• Animals cannot survive without air, water, or the
  warmth that sunlight provides.
• The non-living, physical features of the
  environment are called abiotic factors (abiotic
  means non-living)

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The Non-Living Environment

• Abiotic factors include
• Air
• Water
• Soil
• Sunlight
• Temperature
• The abiotic factors in an environment often
  determine what kinds of organisms can live there.

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Abiotic Factors- Air

• Air is invisible and plentiful, so it is easily
  overlooked as an abiotic factor of the
  environment.
• The air that surrounds Earth is called the
  atmosphere.

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Abiotic Factors- Air

• Air contains 78 nitrogen, 21 oxygen, 0.93
  argon, 0.03 carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of
  other gases.
• Carbon dioxide is required for photosynthesis
• Oxygen is required for respiration
• Nitrogen is used to produce proteins and nucleic
  acids.

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Abiotic Factors- Water

• Respiration, digestion, photosynthesis, and many
  other life processes can only take place in the
  presence of water.

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Abiotic Factors- Water

• Water is essential to life on Earth.
• It is a major ingredient of the fluid inside the
  cells of all living things.
• In fact most organisms are 50 to 90 water.

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Abiotic Factors- Water

• Environments that have plenty of water can
  support a greater diversity of and a larger
  number of organisms than environments that have
  little water.

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Soil

• Soil is a mixture of mineral and rock particles,
  the remains of dead organisms, water and air.
• It is the topmost layer of the Earths crust and
  it supports plant growth

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Soil

• Soil is mostly composed of nonliving rock and
  mineral particles.
• Soil contains living organisms and the decaying
  remains of dead organisms.
• Soil life includes Bacteria, Fungi, Insects,
  worms
• Decaying matter found in soil is called humus.

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Sunlight

• All life requires energy
• Sunlight is the energy source for almost all life
  on Earth.
• During photosynthesis, producers convert light
  energy into chemical energy that is stored in
  sugar molecules.
• This energy is passed to consumers when they eat
  producers or other consumers

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Temperature

• Sunlight supplies creatures on Earth with light
  energy for photosynthesis and heat energy for
  warmth.
• Most organisms can survive only if their body
  temperatures stay within a range of 0C to 50C
  (32 F -122 F)
• Examples penguins are adapted for survival in
  the freezing Antarctic
• Camels can survive the scorching temperatures of
  the Arabian desert

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Temperature

• The temperature of a region depends on the amount
  of sunlight it receives
• The amount of sunlight depends on the lands
  latitude and elevation

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Cycles in Nature

• Earths abiotic material is cycled through the
  environment and are reused by different organisms
• Water Cycle
• Nitrogen Cycle
• Carbon Cycle

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Water Cycle

• Water Cycle a model that describes how water
  moves from the surface of the earth to the
  atmosphere back to the surface again
• Water is constantly used and recycled in our
  environment

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Water Cycle Step 1

• Water evaporates from the surfaces of lakes,
  streams, puddles and oceans
• Water enters the atmosphere in 3 ways
• Evaporation takes place when liquid water changes
  to water vapor, which is a gas, and enters the
  atmosphere
• Water vapor also enters the atmosphere from plant
  leaves in a process known as Transpiration
• Animals release water vapor into the air when
  they exhale

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Water Cycle Step 2

• Water released in the atmosphere cools and
  condenses on particles of dust in the air forming
  tiny droplets.
• A process that turns gas back into a liquid is
  called condensation
• Droplets clump together to form clouds

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Water Cycle Step 3

• When the clouds become large and heavy enough,
  the droplets fall to the ground as rain, snow, or
  other types of precipitation

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Nitrogen cycle

• The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to
  the soil, to living organisms and back to the
  atmosphere
• Nitrogen fixation a process in which some types
  of soil bacteria can form the nitrogen compounds
  plants need
• Farmers replace nitrogen by growing
  nitrogen-fixing crops or using fertilizers that
  contain nitrogen compounds

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Carbon Cycle

• How carbon molecules move between the living and
  nonliving world
• Producers remove carbon dioxide gas from the air
  during photosynthesis
• Respiration is the chemical process that uses
  oxygen from the air to provide energy for cells
• Waste product is carbon dioxide
• Most organisms have respiration

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