Chapter 3: Functioning ecosystems Flashcards
What provides the Earth with the most energy?
Sun
What does the heating of the atmosphere cause?
Geochemical processes, tides, weather and ocean currents
What radiation does the sun emit?
Visible, infrared and ultraviolet radiation
How is the sun light converted to chemical energy?
Photosynthesis
What is the process of photosynthesis?
Binds molecules of water and carbon dioxide
How is energy made available?
Metabolism
How is glucose released?
Cellular respiration
What is an autotroph?
An organism which produces its own organic matter from sunlight
What is a trophic level?
A level in the food chain of an ecosystem based on feeding relationships
What is biomass?
The total mass of living matter in an ecosystem
What is photosynthetic efficiency?
How well a producer converts light energy into chemical energy
What does photosynthetic efficiency refer to within biomass?
Not all producers make the same amount of biomass, their ability to produce is referred to as photosynthetic efficiency
What is the difference between gross primary productivity and net primary productivity?
Gross is the amount of organic matter produced and net is the amount available to consumers through trophic levels.
What is heterotroph?
An organism that consumes other organisms for food
What is a biomass pyramid?
A diagram which shows the relative proportions of each trophic level
What is the general energy loss rule?
10%
What does energy convert to and lost?
Metabolism into heat energy and is lost into the surrounding environment
What does endothermic mean?
Internal body temperature is higher the surrounding temp
What does ectothermic mean?
Internal body temperature reflects and fluctuates with its surroundings
What is the percentage efficiency equation?
=(Net productivity of the organism )/(Net productivity of previous trophic level) × 100
What is a detritivore?
Worms which consume dead tissue
What is a decomposer?
An organism which absorbs nutrients from dead tissue
What is an ecological niche?
The role an organism plays in an ecosystem and its interactions
What happens if two organisms display the same ecological niche?
One will out-compete the other
What is the fundamental niche?
The widest potential niche a species could occupy without predators
What is realised niche?
The actual niche a species occupies with the influence of predators.
What is resource partitioning?
The use of space allows species to occupy the same niche without out-competing one another. E.g. Using trees, one dwells in the canopy, secondary layer etc.
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
An ecological principle that states no two species can occupy exactly the same niche
What is carrying capacity?
The greatest population the resources of an area will allow the species
What are keystone species?
A plant or species which plays a virtual role in the survival of the ecosystem
What happens if a keystone species is removed?
The ecosystem will fail
