Energy And Matter In Ecosystems Flashcards
Energy
The capacity to cause change, particularly to do work
Energy source
The sun provides most of earths energy in a form of electromagnetic radiation that is known as as solar energy
A biogeographical cycle
Refers to the pathway of matter through the living components (organisms) and non-living components (such as soil, rocks, water and the atmosphere) of an ecosystem
A geochemical cycle
Refers to the chemical interactions that exist in crustal and subcrustal reservoirs, such as the deep earth and lithosphere (crust)
Biotic components of an ecosystem
Light energy enters an ecosystem via producers (plants and algae)
All organisms rely on producers either directly or indirectly
Energy is stored in chemical bonds in the organic compounds and is released when the chemical bonds are broken
Photosynthesis
Carbon dioxide + water —> glucose + oxygen
Only producers perform photosynthesis
Biomass
The chemical energy stored in plants as organic matter can be measured
Is the total mass of biological matter (living or dead) in a given area
Photosynthesis efficiency
How well a producer converts light energy into carbohydrates during photosynthesis
Net primary productivity (NPP)
Is the remaining amount of energy that is available to consumers
Net production = gross production - energy used in respiration
Consumers (1)
An organisms that depends on other organisms for its nutrients and energy requirements
They extract energy stored in chemical bonds by a process called cellular respiration
Cellular respiration
Is a metabolic process. It is the breakdown of organic matter in order to release energy
Glucose + oxygen —> carbon dioxide + water (+ energy in the form of ATP)
Both producers and consumers perform cellular respiration
Food chains and food webs
Are examples of qualitative, predictive models that allow ecologists to monitor raw sustainability of feeding relationships in an ecosystem
The position an organism occupies in a food chain or web is called its trophic level
A generalised food chain
Sunlight - producer - primary consumer (herbivore) - secondary consumer (second-order consumer) - tertiary consumer (third-order consumer) - top carnivore (apex predator)
A food web
Is a group of food chains that are linked together, showing the interactions between food chains within a community
Plants are autotrophs: they make their own food by transforming light energy from the sun during photosynthesis
Process of energy through food chain
- potential energy stored in plants
- primary consumers (herbivores) feed on producers (plants)
- carnivores and omnivores are secondary consumers
- secondary consumers feed on primary consumers
- at each trophic level in the chain, a proportion of the available energy is used during essential biological processes and lost due to inefficiencies during transfer. Some energy is lost from the food chain as chemical energy in organic wastes of dead plant and animal tissues, collectively called detritus
- energy from the top consumers is transferred to scavengers and detritivores.
Scavengers are animals that feed no the dead remains of other animals.
Detritivores feed on the detritus and help speed up the process of decay by breaking it down into smaller pieces.
Decomposes continue this process, returning these nutrients to the soil or water
Energy loss in food chains
Progressively less energy is available at each tropic level as you move up a food chain
On average 10% of the energy at one trophic level is passed on to the next level
The remaining 90% is lost to the surroundings as heat energy and chemical energy in wastes
The efficiency of energy transfer can vary from less than 0.1% to well over 10%