2/6/18 2/6/18

Photosynthetically Active Radiation

Energy and Nutrient
Relations
BI 170
6 FEBRUARY 2018

4
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Energy Sources Photosynthetic Pathways

— Trophic levels — C3 Photosynthesis

¡ Autotrophs: inorganic sources of carbon and energy. ¡ Used by most plants and algae.
÷ Photosynthetic: CO 2 as carbon source, and sunlight as energy.
¡ CO 2 + ribulose bisphosphate (5 carbon sugar) =
÷ Chemosynthetic: Inorganic molecules as source of carbon and
phosphoglyceric acid (3 carbon acid)
energy.
÷ For carbon fixation, plants open their stomata to let in CO 2 .
¡ Heterotrophs: organic molecules as sources of carbon and
energy. ¢ But water gradient may allow the escape of water.

2 5

Solar - Powered Biosphere C3 Photosynthesis

— Light travels through space as a wave.

¡ Photon: light as an energy-bearing particle.
÷ Infrared (IR): Long-wavelength, low energy.
¢ Increases motion of molecules.
÷ Ultraviolet (UV): Short wavelength, high energy.
¢ Can destroy biological machinery.

¡ Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)

÷ Between two extremes.

3 6

1 2
 2/6/18 2/6/18

Photosynthetic Pathways Heterotrophs

— C4 Photosynthesis — Three Feeding Methods of Heterotrophs:

¡ CO 2 + phosphoenol pyruvate (3 carbon sugar) = malate or ¡ Herbivores: Feed on plants.
aspartate (4 carbon acid) ¡ Carnivores: Feed on animal flesh.
¡ Reduce internal CO 2 concentrations, thereby: ¡ Detritivores: Feed on non-living organic matter.
÷ Increasing rate of CO 2 diffusion inward.
÷ Needing fewer open stomata.

7 10

Chemical Composition
Photosynthetic Pathways and Nutrient Requirements

— CAM Photosynthesis — Five elements make up 93-97% of biomass of plants,

¡ (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) animals, fungi and bacteria:
¡ Characteristic of succulent plants in arid and semi-arid ¡ Carbon
environments. ¡ Oxygen
÷ Carbon fixation takes place at night, so water loss is greatly ¡ Hydrogen
reduced (very water-efficient).
¡ Nitrogen
÷ Low rates of photosynthesis.
¡ Phosphorus
*PONCH

8 11

Chemosynthetic Autotrophs Essential Plant Nutrients

— 1977 - Organisms found living on sea floor. — Potassium — Manganese

¡ Nutrients discharged from volcanic activity through oceanic — Calcium — Boron
rift.
÷ Deep-sea communities depend on chemoautotrophs (free-living or — Magnesium — Zinc
mutualistic with invertebrates).
— Sulfur — Copper
— Chlorine — Molybdenum
— Iron

9 12

3 4
 2/6/18 2/6/18

Herbivores Carnivores

— Face substantial nutritional problems. — Predators serve as selection agents for prey defense.
¡ Ex: Low nitrogen concentrations. — Predator and prey species are engaged in a co-
— Must overcome physical and chemical plant evolutionary arms race.
defenses.
¡ Physical
÷ Cellulose; lignin; silica
¡ Chemical
÷ Toxins
÷ Digestion-reducing Compounds

13 16

Detritivores Energy Limitation

— Food source is rich in carbon and energy, but poor in — In animals: Relationship between feeding rate and
nitrogen. food availability.
¡ Ex: Dead leaves usually have half of the nitrogen content of — In plants: Response of photosynthetic rate to photon
living leaves.
flux density.
— Fresh detritus may still have residual chemical
defenses.

14 17

Photon Flux and Photosynthetic

Carnivores Response Curves

— Consume nutritionally rich prey.

¡ But face prey defenses.
¡ What are examples?

15 18

5 6
 2/6/18 2/6/18

Food Density and Animal Functional Response Optimal Foraging Theory

— Holling: 3 basic functional response curves: — All other things being equal, more abundant prey
¡ 1. Feeding rate increases linearly as food density increases and yields larger energy return. Must consider energy
levels off at maximum.
÷ Little or no search and handling time.
expended during:
÷ Search for prey
¡ 2. Feeding rate rises proportional to food density.
÷ Partially limited by search/handling time. ÷ Handling time

¡ 3. Feeding rate increases most rapidly at intermediate — Tend to maximize rate of energy intake.
densities
÷ Learning time or prey shift

19 22

Food Density and Animal Functional Response Optimal Foraging By Plants

— Limited supplies of energy for allocation to leaves,

stems and roots.
— Bloom suggested plants adjust allocation in such a
manner that all resources are equally limited.
¡ Appear to allocate growth in a manner that increases rate of
acquisition of resources in shortest supply.

20 23

Optimal Foraging Theory

— If energy supplies are limited, organisms cannot

simultaneously maximize all their life functions.
¡ Compromise among competing demands for resources.
÷ Principle of Allocation

21

7 8