Chapter 3: General Flashcards
Transition between ecosystems boundaries
Small organisms can survive in these “patches”
Ecotone
Thin layer of earth (where life is)
Biosphere
What percent of incoming solar energy is converted into chemical energy by producers
1%
Biomass available as nutrients for consumers
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
NPP Formula
NPP = GPP - R
Total amount of energy photosynthesis converts to sugar
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
Energy producers use for themselves
Respiration loses (R)
Large region defined by distinct climate/species
Biome
Too much or little can can prevent the growth of a population
Limiting factors
Oxygen that fish breath
Dissolved oxygen (DO)
Scavenger
Detritovore
3 factors that sustain life on Earth
One-way flow of high-quality energy from sun
Cycling of energy through biosphere
Gravity
Short term residence for nutrients
Reservoir
Long term residence for nutrients
Sink
Rate at which materials move between reservoirs/sinks
Flux
Water that goes into ground (water cycle)
Infiltrate
Water flows on land to lowest point
Runoff
Effects of runoff
- Runoff brings fertilizer to body of water
- Algae boom and then die
- Bacteria eats dead algae waste
- Bacteria booms, use up oxygen
- DO levels drop, aquatic life suffocate (fish kill)
- Area becomes dead zone
Solutions to runoff
New farming methods
Maintain wetlands
Plant cover crops
An event that changes population/community composition
Disturbance
How much a disturbance can affect the flow of energy and matter
Resistance
How fast an ecosystem can bounce back after a disturbance
Resilience
Study/implementation of restoring destroyed ecosystems
Restoration ecology
On land, NPP increases with
Temperature and precipitation
In the water, NPP increases with
Light and nutrients
