Ecosystems Flashcards
Amount of energy passed on at each level
10% of the energy is passed on at each level as food energy
Energy transfers between organisms
The transfer of energy along a food chain
Light energy fixed into food molecules by plants
Energy released during respiration
Energy used for growth is passed on at the next tropic level
All other energy is transferred to the environment as heat
Biomass gets less at each level
Some parts of the animals are not eaten
Not all of the food can be digested and absorbed
Some of the food eaten is broken down and excreted as water
Some of the food is respired and used to release energy for the cells
Only a small part of the food is used to produce growth and New body mass
Pyramids of numbers
The number of organisms at each tropic level
Pyramids of numbers, limitations
1 tree is home to many organisms
Pyramids of biomass
The total biomass of organisms at each tropic level
The mass of biological material
Ecosystems
A self Supporting system
Contains living organisms that interact through feeding relationships and their physical environment
Producers, consumers, composers
Interactions in an Ecosystem
Feeding relationships
Competition between organisms
Relationships with the environment
Producers
Plants
Produce their own food through photosynthesis
Consumers
Animals
Eat plants and animals to gain their energy
Decomposers
Bacteria/ fungi
Break down and decompose dead material and waste products
Recycle the nutrients
Population
All of the organisms of a particular species living in an ecosystem at a particular time
Community
All of the populations of living organisms living in an ecosystem at a particular time
Habitat
A place where specific living organisms live
Quadrats
Used to sample the distributions of organisms (estimate)
