Activity 2.3 - Biosphere and Interconnections

I have provided links in order to give a clear image to read.

Link to first map - Energy

http://go.bubbl.us/c6af90/413d?/Energy-(Chapter-4)

This concept map goes over the units of energy, energy in ecosystems, and how energy is transformed.

Link to second map - Biodiversity

http://go.bubbl.us/c6b006/f111?/Biodiversity

This concept map goes over the value of biodiversity and how we organize biodiversity into different groups.

Link to third map - Biomes

http://go.bubbl.us/c6b09d/f8d1?/Biomes

This concept map goes over what a biome is, the different types of biomes, and how each biome is classified.

These three concept maps are interconnected because they make up what we know the world as today. They are all concepts we have made in order to organize ideas of how the earth works. They all are affected by one another and have their own relationships happening among them. You can't have one without the other.

For example, energy is what creates and gives life, and what sustains it. Energy is found in the concept of biodiversity, because biodiversity is all the different life forms. Then this goes into the subtopic of biodiversity of what kingdoms of life there are, the main separator being the way they obtain their energy. For example, autotrophs produce their own food from the sun's energy and molecules versus heterotrophs consuming energy from other organisms. Another example of the concept of energy being in the biodiversity concept is the second law of thermodynamics and the theory of entropy. Energy transformations can never be completely efficient, there's always a a "loss" of energy through thermal energy back into the atmosphere. (Freedman p. 64) This is directly seen in energy pyramids and food webs when only 10% of energy gets passed onto the next consumer. Energy is what is passed on to each organism, and the organism that the energy supports and transfers through makes up a biome's biodiversity.

Biodiversity directly correlates to biomes, where life makes up the different kinds of biomes. Biodiversity and what grows in a certain area is influenced by the climate and environment of the area. For example, a giant water lily can only grow in the rainforest because of its high moisture levels (Freedman p. 119), and a penguin can only live in a cold climate like a tundra biome that suits its body and way of life. Biodiversity is directly influenced by biomes and vice versa. They are all interrelated and have their own relationships and connections.

References:

Freeman, B. (2018). Environmental science: A Canadian perspective. Halifax, Canada: Dalhousie University Libraries.  FREEDMAN_Environmental-Science.pdf