5.3 Energy and Ecosystems Flashcards
How does energy enter an ecosystem?
via light energy from the sun
What are the 2 uses of glucose in an ecosystem?
storage as starch
convert into any carbon containing compound
How is energy tranferred to the next trophic level?
by chemical energy transferred in biomass
How is energy lost from a system?
heat energy via resp
chemical energy lost to dead organic matter
What are the insoluble parts of an organism?
bones, fur, teeth, hair, feathers
What is the effect of cellulose being indigestable?
primary consumers that eat plants can’t digest the cellulose, so it contributes as faeces in dead organic matter
Why do birds/invertebrates pass on more energy than mammels?
invertebrates and birds are not endotherms so they have a lower rate of resp
Why are herbivores more efficient at energy conversion?
it takes up more energy from the sun to produce meat for a carnivore than to produce plants for a herbivore
What is the max no. of trophic levels in a food chain?
4
What is photosynthetic efficiency?
a measure of how well a plant is able to harvest the light energy and convert it into chemical energy
What are all the ways light is not absorbed into a plant?
absorbed by water
transmitted
reflected
light is the wrong wavelength (green light)
low CO2 conc for photosyn
Why is light absorbed by water on a leaf?
water has a high latent heat of vapourisation for evapouration
Why is some light reflected off a leaf?
thw waxy cuticle
What is GPP?
the total quantity of the chemical energy store in plant biomass in a given area/volume in a given time
What is NPP?
the chemical energy store that is left once resp losses have been accounted for