Energy Flashcards
Biomass
Dry mass of living tissue in a given area in a given time (Kgm-2yr-1)
Why is energy finite
Each trophic level transfer less energy down
GPP
Gross Primary Productivity - Chemical energy stored in biomass in a given area in a given time (KJm-2yr-1)
NPP
Net Primary Productivity = Chemical energy stroed in biomass after respiatory losses (KJm-2yr-1)
Why do plants not absorb all of the energy from the sun
- 1-3% absorbed
- Some miss chloropast
- Wrong wavelength
Other limiting factors
NP equation for consumers only
NPP = I - (F+R)
What property of a consumer can increase the NP
Cold blooded so no respiatory loss
Producers
converts high energy into chemical energy via photosynthesis this energy is then avaliable to other trophic levels
Food webs
A diagram showing the flow of energy through different trophic levels of a community
NP
Chemical energy in the biomass of an animal after respiatory loss and excretion
Energy efficiency
energy available after transfer / energy available before transfer x 100
Why do we use dry mass when measuring for biomass
Water is a variable factor
Why is only 10% of energy transfered from producer to first consumer
Cannot break down the cellulose so its excreted and not converted to biomass
What are saprobionts
Bacteria and Fungi that break down smaller organic compounds the detritvores have left behind further into mineral ions like NO3- and P04^3-
What are detitivores
small animals that break down large organic compounds from dead organisms/faceses/urea into smaller ones
