1. What circumstances would cause an organism to adapt?
2. State how matter moves through the biosphere. State how energy moves through the biosphere.
(theyre both paragraph questions, i'm not sure what to put)
Need help on this too
I can help on the second one.
matter has constant movement in the biosphere system
energy comes and goes throughout the system in the shape of daylight and infrared emission.
The first one I am not sure
1. Organisms adapt to their environment as a result of certain circumstances. One of the main factors that can lead to adaptation is a change in environmental conditions. These changes may include alterations in temperature, food availability, predation pressure, or competition for resources. When faced with such changes, organisms need to adapt in order to survive and reproduce successfully. This process of adaptation involves genetic changes over generations that enhance an organism's ability to survive in its environment. Specifically, individuals with favorable genetic traits are more likely to survive and pass on these traits to their offspring, causing the population to gradually adapt to the new conditions.
To elaborate on how to answer this question, one could start by mentioning the concept of natural selection as the driving force behind adaptation. Natural selection operates on the genetic diversity within a population, favoring traits that provide a survival advantage in a particular environment. It would then be helpful to provide examples of specific circumstances that can trigger adaptation in different organisms, such as the development of thicker fur in animals living in colder climates or the evolution of longer beaks in birds to access new food sources.
2. Matter and energy both move through the biosphere in cycles, but they follow different pathways.
Matter moves through the biosphere in what is known as the biogeochemical cycle. This cycle involves the circulation of chemicals, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, through various reservoirs such as the atmosphere, soil, plants, animals, and bodies of water. Matter is constantly being cycled and recycled between these reservoirs by natural processes. For example, carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is taken up by photosynthetic organisms (plants and algae) during the process of photosynthesis, converting it into organic carbon compounds. These compounds then enter the food chain and are passed on to other organisms through consumption. When organisms die or produce waste, decomposers break down their organic matter, releasing nutrients back into the environment to be taken up by plants again. This cyclic movement of matter sustains life in the biosphere.
On the other hand, energy flows through the biosphere in a unidirectional manner. Energy enters the biosphere primarily from the Sun through the process of photosynthesis. Green plants and other photosynthetic organisms capture solar energy and convert it into chemical energy in the form of glucose. This chemical energy is passed on to consumers (herbivores, carnivores, etc.) when they feed on these autotrophic organisms. As energy flows through the food chain, each trophic level only retains a fraction of the energy, with the majority being lost as heat. This flow of energy through the different trophic levels is known as the energy pyramid. Eventually, most of the energy is dissipated as heat into the environment. Thus, energy is not recycled in the same way as matter but is continuously supplied by the Sun and exits the biosphere as heat.
To address this question effectively, it would be useful to explain the importance of matter cycling and energy flow for the functioning of ecosystems. Additionally, providing specific examples of biogeochemical cycles (e.g., the carbon cycle or nitrogen cycle) and explaining the movement of energy through trophic levels can further strengthen the answer.