biology Flashcards
aka: autotrophs
- Manufactures their own food.
a. Two major:
1. Photosynthesis
Use solar energy
Producers
Use energy stored in inorganic molecules
Chemosynthesis
gross primary productivity (GPP) Rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture energy of sunlight by producing organic compounds.
Measuring productivity
The organic molecule can be used for things such as:
- cell respiration
- maintenance and repair
- growth reproduction
organic materials that has been produced in an ecosystem.
Biomass
- biomass accumulates- only energy stored as biomass is available to other organisms in the ecosystem.
net primary productivity (NPP)
NPP=GPP-R
aka Heterotrophs
- Cannot manufacture own food
- Obtain energy by consuming organic materials made by other organisms.
- Grouped based on type of food they eat
Consumers
- Primary consumer herbivore
- Secondary consumer east herbivores
- Tertiary consumer eats consumer
- consumers on detritus/dead organic material.
- ex: organisms that recently died, fallen leaves, and animal waste.
Detritivores
- Cause decay by breaking down the organic material
- ex: bacteria & fungi
Decomposers
- Do not kill for food but eat animals that have already died.
- typically consume large carrion.
Scavengers
a. Food chain
-Model showing sequence of feeding
- Follows the connection between producer and single chain of consumer
Energy flow
-Model showing complex network of feeding relationship
- Flow of energy within ecosystem
- At each link, some energy stored in animal that eats organism, some energy released by energy
- An organism may have many feeding relationship.
Food web
the specific role, or way of life, of a species within its environment.
The Niche
- includes the range of conditions that the species can tolerate, the resources it uses, methods it obtains resources, and all other interactions with its environment
- Consumer
- Eat one specific organism
- A small selection of organisms
- Sensitive to changes of its prey.
Specialist
- Consumer
- Do not rely on single source of food
- Eats everything
Generalists
Changing environment
The place where an organism lives is its habitat.
Each organism can survive within a limited range of environment.
The range in which an organism can thrive in is its tolerance curve.
Ecology of Organisms
- some can adjust their tolerance to abiotic factors during their lifetime= Acclimation.
Environmental factors change so organisms have one of 2 ways to deal with this.
1. Conformers- organisms that DO NOT regulate internal conditions. Change with the environment
Control of internal conditions
organism using energy to control internal conditions over a variety of environmental changes.
Regulators
- dormancy
- enter a state of reduced activity- migration
- move to a favorable habitat
- migration
Escape from unsuitable conditions
- dormancy
- enter a state of reduced activity- migration
- move to a favorable habitat
- migration
Escape from unsuitable conditions