chapter 2 Flashcards
The system resulting from
the integration of all the
living and nonliving factors
of the environment.
ecosystem
is defined as any unit that
includes all the organisms, i.e., the
community in a given area interacting with
the physical environment so that a flow of
energy leads to clearly defined trophic
structure, biotic diversity and material
cycles
ecosystem
The components of an
ecosystem can be
broadly categorized into
________ and _______
biotic, abiotic elements
These are the living organisms within an
ecosystem and can be categorized into
different trophic levels (identify levels)
Biotic factors
Producers (Autotrophs)
Consumers (Heterotrophs)
Decomposers (detritivores)
non-living physical and chemical
factors that influence the
environment and the living
organisms within it.
Abiotic Components
Refers to the
spatial relations
of an
ecosystem’s
elements.
structure
Layers of the ocean
Epipelagic Zone
mesopelagic zone
bathypelagic zone
abyssopelagic zone
hadalpelagic zone
most visible light can penetrate this layer,
making it the warmest of all layers
epipelagic zone
only faint sunlight reaches this zone
mesopelagic zone
complete absence of light
bathypelagic zone
it is the pitch-black bottom layer of the ocean as no sunlight reaches this layer
abyssopelagic zone
the ocean’s deepest zone
hadalpelagic zone
The functions of an ecosystem include
__________, _________, and
_______________ and __________ through the medium of living
organisms and their activities and through
natural physical processes
transformation, circulation, accumulation of matter, flow of energy
any
of the natural pathways
by which essential
elements of living matter
are circulated
biogeochemical cycle
It describes how energy
is captured, transformed,
and utilized by living
organisms in an
ecosystem
energy flow
➢Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can
only be transformed from one form to another
first law of thermodynamics
The entropy of a system increases
over time
➢ In any energy conversion, the
amount of useable energy at the
end of the process is always less
than the amount of energy
available at the start
second law of thermodynamics
refers
to the division of biomass
among different levels in a
food chain, which is influenced
by both the flow of energy and
nutrients from primary
producers and the
consumption of prey by
predators
trophic structures
is
defined as a position in the
food chain where organisms
are grouped based on their
feeding relationships, with
each level representing a
different stage of energy
transfer within an ecosystem
trophic level
➢ obtain energy and nutrients by
harnessing sunlight through
photosynthesis (photo______)
➢ do not consume other organisms;
they are, however, consumed by
heterotrophs
producers - autotrophs
➢ derive their energy directly from
plants or algae
➢ primary consumers cannot make
their own food so they obtain
energy by consuming these
autotrophs
primary consumers
➢ organisms that primarily feed
on primary consumers
➢ form a link between herbivores
and top-level predators in the
food chain
secondary consumers
➢ is an animal that obtains its
nutrition by eating primary
consumers and secondary
consumers.
➢ are carnivorous predators,
although they may also be
omnivores, which are animals
that feed on both meat and
plant material
tertiary consumers
➢ These organisms that get their
nourishment from dead
organic material, such as
decaying plant leaves or dead
fish
➢ Break down the remains and
other wastes and release
simple inorganic molecules
back to the environment
decomposers
