1.3 Matter and Energy Flow Flashcards
main source of energy for life
sun
how is enegry from the sun stored in life
chemical energy
example of how energy from the sun is converted to chemical energy
photosynthesis –> carbon fixation
how do you measure the amount of primary productive in a given area
see how much life has grown/is supported in a given area
primary productivity
the rate at which solar energy (sunlight) is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time
biomass
mass of biological stuff that is growin in a given area minus the mass of water
calories is a way to measure
energy
biomass is measured in
grams/m^squared per year
or
kcal/m^squared per year
types of primary productivity
net and gross
net primary productivity
amount an organism photosynthesizes (energy it gets) minus the amount it respirates (energy it uses)
gross primary productivity
amount an organism photosynthesizes
formula for net primary productivity
GPP - respiration = NPP
biomass
the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume.
in an ecosystem, there are the most of what type of organism
producers (primary)
primary consumer
organisms that eat primary producers
first trophic level is always
primary producer
secondary trophic level is always what
primary consumer
why is there a 10% rule
bc not all energy CAN be transferred and some of the energy is also used by the organism giving it to live
apex predator
top predator in food chain
10% rule
only 10% of energy in a trophic level gets passed to the next
production efficiency
how efficient and organism is in using its energy for its biomass and reproduction
how to calculate production efficiency
take away energy used for respiration from total energy
what is more productilvely efficient endotherms or ectotherms and why
ectotherms bc endotherms waste energy on maintaining an internal body temp
secondary production
amount of energy consumer has for its growth and reproduction
pyramid of net production shows what
energy transfer
pyrmaid of net production
shows the energy of trophic levels based on the sizee of the block
a bigger block in a pyramid means more or less energy
more
decomposers are also
consumers
How would eliminating the decomposers affect energy flow through this ecosystem over time?
Eliminating decomposers would limit the flow of energy, because decomposers are consumers that convert energy through cellular respiration.
why would eliminating decomposers lessen energy flow
energy from waste and dead organisms would not continue to cycle through the ecosystem, reducing overall energy flow
How would eliminating the secondary consumers affect energy flow through this ecosystem over time?
Energy flow would decrease because the increased primary consumer populations would reduce the producer population
