Energy and Material Flow in the Ecosystem Flashcards
The network demonstrates how different nutrients and energy sources connect diverse creatures to one another.
Food chain
Demonstrates the relationships between food chains— overall
Food web
Process in which collect solar energy and convert it into organic compounds that may be consumed as food.
Photosynthesis
Chemical reaction that occurs when organic molecules from food react with other chemicals– generating energy.
Cellular respiration
Trophic Level
An organism’s position relative to the primary energy souce. “Sun”
A model that represents the relative amount of matter and energy contained within each trophic level of an ecosystem.
Ecological Pyramid
Sequence of processes ranging from the extraction of raw material via its processing, reprocessing and machining up to the finished product and delivery to the end consumer.
Material Flow
Used in primary production or manufacturing of a good.
Materials (Goods/raw, Elements, Compound)
Common between Energy and Material Cycles
- transferred from one living thing to the next when one animal eats another
- found in the bodies of animals and plants
Difference between Energy and Materials Cycles
EC: Originates with the sun, cannot be reused, lost as heat, one way path.
MC: Recycled/ Reused, circular path
Field that tracks factors related to changes in population.
Human Population Dynamics
Population Dynamics importance?
Helps to determine the environmental impact of human activity.
One widely-cited formula by Paul R. Ehrlich and John P. Holdren in 1974
Environmental Impact = Population x Affluence (Consumption) x Technology
Future Population Growth?
2 billion in the next 30 years.
Key metric for assessing population health
Life expectancy
Child Mortality vs. Infant Mortality
CM: Death under the age of five
IM: Death under the age of one
Average number of children per woman
Fertility Rate
Proportionate numbers of people in different age categories in a given population for a defined time.
Age Structure
Species adaptation to the rhythms of change of local conditions.
Animal Population Dynamics
The relationship of mortality to population growth
inversely proportional
Interaction between herbivorous animals and plants they eat.
Herbivory
Interaction in which both partners benefit
Mutualism
Interaction in which one species benefits and the other is harmed
Parasitism
Interaction in which one benefits and the other is unaffected
Commensalism
Hide or disguise the presence of the other species.
Camouflage
Substances released by prey to reduce predation risk.
Chemical Defense
One animal resembles another species– deceives a potential predator
Mimicry
Hard, needle-like anatomical structures found in both in/vertebrate species.
Spines and Spikes
Types of Regulatory Mechanisms
Individual adjustment,
Biocenotic Regulation,
Population Regulation,
Factors that affect population growth
water, light, habitat, niche, competition, predation
“never-ending arms race”
Microbial Population Dynamics
extracellular substances produced by organisms– predominantly linked to a protein during exercise
Bacteriocins
Numerous environmental factors as well as the characteristics of the individual bacterial species govern the generation time, which differs among bacteria.
Bacterial Growth Curve
Importance of bacteria to humans (category)
food, industry, medicine
Evolution of bacteria
Since the beginning of Earth’s history, bacteria have existed. Since the early Precambrian Period, or roughly 3.5 billion years ago.
Factors affecting bacterial growth
Nutrients: water, carbon source, nitrogen source, inorganic salts, growth factors, sulfur source, phosphorous source.
Environmental Factors: temperature, gas (oxygen), pH, osmotic pressure.
Physical: oxygen, temperature, pH
the carbon and energy needed by this bacterial metabolism come from organic molecules.
Heterotrophic Metabolism
uses carbon dioxide as their carbon source to produce every component of their cells.
Autotrophic Metabolism
The process of photosynthesis transforms solar energy into cellular energy. (bacterial metabolism)
Phototrophic Metabolism
Classification of Bacteria
Taxonomic Rankings
Bacterial Species Problem
Genetic Approaches
DNA-Based Methods-
165 rRNA analysis
