3.5.3 Energy and Ecosystems Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

The pattern of energy flow in a food chain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the basic food chain diagram?

A

Sun = Producers = Consumers

= Decomposers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the types of consumers?

A

Primary, secondary, tertiary… etc

Depends on the food chain in relation to the producers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Are plants the only type of producers?

A

No, algae and some bacteria are producers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Which way do arrows point in a food chain diagram?

A

Towards the consumer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is biomass?

A

When sugars that aren’t used up by the plant are used to make biological molecules, these molecules from the biomass of the plant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How can biomass be measured?

A

In terms of mass of carbon or dry mass of tissue per given area
Can be estimated using calorimetry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is ecology?

A

The study of how organisms interact with one another in their environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is an individual?

A

A single organism in a population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is a population?

A

A group of individuals of the same species occupying a given area at the same time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is a community?

A

All the populations living in a defined area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a habitat?

A

The area where an organism lives, including where it finds food and mates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is a niche?

A

Where an organism lives and what it does there

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

A community plus all the abiotic factors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is a biosphere?

A

All of the Earth’s ecosystems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is a biome?

A

Large regions characterised by certain climates

17
Q

What are the limiting factors in aquatic environments?

A

Salinity, dissolved oxygen content, light, temperature

18
Q

How much of the sun’s energy do plants convert into organic molecules?

A

1 - 3%

19
Q

Why is so little of the sun’s energy converted into organic molecules by plants?

A

Misses chloroplasts
Is reflected
Not all waves of light can be absorbed
CO2 becomes limiting

20
Q

What is primary productivity?

A

The amount of new biomass of producers per unit time and space, measured in kJ/m2/year

21
Q

What is gross primary production?

A

The total amount of energy captured

22
Q

What is the equation for net primary production?

A

GPP - respiration

23
Q

What is net primary production?

A

The amount of energy available to consumers and decomposers

24
Q

Why doesn’t 100% of the energy from food not go into primary consumers?

A

Some lost in growth and reproduction
Not all of the plant is available
Some parts can not be digested
Some energy is lost in excretotry materials
Energy is needed to have a high body temperature

25
Q

What is the equation for energy efficiency?

A

Energy available after the transfer
————————————————— X 100
Energy available before the transfer

26
Q

What is the equation for net production?

A
N = I - ( F + R )
I = energy in ingested food
F = energy in faeces
R = energy in respiration