BIOB50H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Giant Tube Worm, Benthic Zone, Primary Production
4 Nov 2016
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Temperature & precipitation are the primary drivers of vegetation type, and thus determine biomes. Biomes differ in the amount of biomass, or living material. Tropical rainforests: high productivity (in terms of vegetation) Hot desserts: unproductive, small plants, simpler (1-2 layers) 1955 robert ballard and his team reach the hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor for the first time a(cid:374)d (cid:858)dis(cid:272)o(cid:448)ered(cid:859) a (cid:374)ew ecosystem at the bottom of the ocean! Symbiotic mutualism: riftia tubeworms build a calciferous tube shells (bacteria in worms use sulfur and co2 to synthesize sugar) and the sugar energy is fed to riftia tubeworm. Bacteria in hydrothermal vents are chemotrophs (produce carbs from chemical energy) Energy capture forms the basis of ecosystems & biomass productivity. Energy is captured by autotrophs: organisms that convert energy from sunlight or from inorganic chemical compounds in the environment into chemical energy stored in carbon-carbon bonds of organic compounds (carbs/sugar) Sunlight provides the energy to take up co2 and synthesize organic compounds.
