4.1 Study Guide Flashcards
What is biomass?
The total mass of organisms in a given area.
What is productivity?
The rate at which energy is added to the body of organisms in the form of biomass.
What is efficiency?
Efficiency is the amount of energy that an organism can successfully utilize from whatever organism it consumed.
What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?
Inputs: sunlight + CO2 + H2O
Outputs: O2 + glucose
What are the inputs and outputs of respiration?
Inputs: O2 + glucose
Outputs: energy + CO2 + H2O
What type of organisms perform the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
Plants and other similar autotrophs perform photosynthesis to gain energy from the sun.
Cellular respiration occurs in almost all living organisms, including plants and animals.
What is shown in a pyramid of energy vs. a pyramid of numbers vs. a pyramid of biomass?
Pyramid of energy: The amount of energy passing through each trophic level over a period of time.
Pyramid of numbers: The number of organisms at each trophic level.
Pyramid of biomass: Compares the mass of biological material at each trophic level.
Show the rule of 10 using an energy pyramid using grass, a zebra, and a lion.
Primary producer: Grass (100 J of energy)
Primary Consumer: Zebra (10 J of energy)
Secondary Consumer: Lion (1 J of energy)
Explain why it is considered more efficient to eat at a lower trophic level vs. a higher trophic level
It is considered more efficient to eat at a lower trophic level because there is more energy at that level. If we eat at a lower trophic level, then more energy can be passed on to us. This is more efficient because more energy can be transferred to the next level of the pyramid with less energy loss. Eating at a higher trophic level is less efficient because there is less energy available at that level that can be used.
How does the amount of solar energy in a location relate to productivity?
More solar energy equates to a higher energy productivity. This is because if there is more solar energy, then the plants can convert more light energy into chemical energy that is used by other organisms. The productivity increases because more biomass is being added to the plants because the amount of energy is increasing. Less solar energy means less productivity. Ex: If location A received 40% less solar energy than location B, then location A would be much less productive.
How does the amount of solar energy in a location relates to biomass?
The more solar energy that a location receives, the greater the biomass in that location. This is because biomass is a measurement of energy. If more solar energy is in a location, then the biomass will increase. This is because more energy is available for the organisms to use to grow and develop. This increases the biomass. The less solar energy a location receives, the lesser the biomass is in that location.
