Ecotsystem Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Primary producers allow energy to be….

A

Available to all species in the ecosystem

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2
Q

Why are plants measured by dry mass

A

Because once you cut the leaf the water is lost

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3
Q

Primary production

A

The conversion of inorganic material into organic material

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4
Q

Gross primary production

A

Total primary production

The rate at which energy is captured and assimilated by producers in a given area

GPP=PP

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5
Q

Net primary production

A

NPP=GPP-R

R=respiration

PP available to consumers

The rate at which energy is assimilated by producers and converted into producer biomass in a given area

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6
Q

Standing crop

A

The bodies/biomass of the living organisms within a unit of area

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7
Q

Biomass

A

Mass of organisms per unit area of ground or volume of water

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8
Q

Initial mass and final mass of leaves left in light and in dark

A

More initial mass in dark (carbon dioxide lost)

More final mass in light (carbons dioxide used to make photosynthetic products)

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9
Q

What percent of NPP is the total solar energy

A

1% of solar input becomes biomass

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10
Q

PP is affected by what factors

A

-geographic range
-water
-nutrient levels
-temperature
-photosynthetic efficiency
-vegetative cover
-length of growing season

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11
Q

Lieberg law of minimum

A

The rate of any biological process is limited by the factor in the least amount relative to requirements for that process

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12
Q

Where is the greatest rate of PP in oceans

A

Coastlines

-upwelling of nutrients

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13
Q

What does adding nitrate and phosphate do to primary production of algae

A

Increases it but varies by site

Helps a bit but not much (not as limiting)

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14
Q

The more nitrogen you add, phosphorous becomes _____

The more phosphorous you add, nitrogen becomes _____

A

Limiting factor

Limiting factor

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15
Q

How limiting are nitrogen and phosphorus in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems

A

-N and P are limited equally
-same as above

-N is more limiting

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16
Q

What ecosystem has the most primary production

A

Swamps and marshes

17
Q

Two laws of thermodynamics

A

-total amount of energy in the universe is constant (can’t be created or destroyed, only transferred)
-heat energy moves from warmer body to colder one

18
Q

_____ increases over time in a closed system

A

Entropy (amount of disorder)

19
Q

Trophic level

A

Position on the food web determines by the number of transfers of energy from primary producers

20
Q

__________ limit the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem

A

Energy losses

21
Q

As energy is transferred from one trophic level to another, there are losses:

A

-Incomplete consumption
-incomplete assimilation
-respiration by consumers
-heat production

22
Q

Terrestrial vs aquatic ecosystems biomass

A

Terrestrials have lots of producers and smaller tertiary consumers

Aquatic has smaller amount of producers that feed a massive biomass of consumers

23
Q

Terrestrial PP is limited by

A

Temperature and moisture

24
Q

Aquatic PP is limited by

A

Nutrient availability

25
Green food web
A food web focussed on how the producers obtain energy from photosynthesis and how this energy moves up the food web when producers are consumed.
26
Brown food web
Focussed on how scavengers, Derrick red and decomposers obtain energy from dead organic matter and how this energy moves up the food web when they are consumed
27
Egested energy Assimilated energy
The portion of consumed energy that is excreted or regurgitated The portion of consumed energy digested and absorbed
28
Respired energy
The portion of consumed energy used for respiration
29
Net secondary productivity
The rate of consumer biomass accumulation in a given area
30
Increase in_____ leads to an increase in NPP
Annual temperature
31
Consumption efficiency
The percentage of energy or biomass in a trophic level that is consumed by the next higher trophic level CE=Consumed energy/net production of energy of the next lower trophic level
32
Assimilation efficiency
The percentage of consumed energy that is assimilated AE=assimilated energy/consumed energy
33
Net production efficiency
The percentage of assimilated energy that is used for growth and reproduction Net production efficiency=net production energy/assimilated energy
34
Ecological efficiency or food chain efficiency
Net production energy of a trophic level/net production energy of the next lower trophic level The percentage of net production from one trophic level compared to the next lower trophic level
35
Which ecosystem typically has more trophic levels
Aquatic
36
Residence time
The length of time that energy remains in a given trophic level
37
Ecological stoichiometry
The study of the balance of nutrients in ecological interactions, such as between a herbivore and a plant