Energy in ecosystems Flashcards
what is Solar energy ?
the light and heat energy produced from the sun that aids in the process of photosyntheis
what are Energy transformations?
Energy transformation, also known as energy conversion, is the process of changing energy from one form to another
what are Producers?
organism forming the base of all food chains converts simple inorganic chemicals into complex organic molecules
- how well a producer converts light energy into carbohydrates is refers to as its photosynthetic efficiency
- most producers use solar radiation as an energy source
what is productivity?
measured by the amount of fixed within chemical com pounds at each level in the ecosystem. influenced by soil mineral availability to water.
what is gross primary productivity?
(GPP) is the total organic matter produced annually in an area of photosynthesis rate of light E conversions to biomass with unit kj/ m2/ Year. The total organic matter produced annually in area by photosynthesis
what is Net primary productivity ?
(NPP) is the amount of organic matter available to herbivores annually taking into account plant respiration losses unit kj/ m2/ year. The amount of organic matter made available to herbivores annually equals gross primary productivity minus the energy required by the producer themselves
what is a consumer?
an organism that eats another living organism for nutrition
- From the base autotrophic level rise other trophic levels populated by heterotrophs (consumers).
- These organisms cannot photosynthesise and therefore must obtain their energy either directly or indirectly from organisms that can.
what is a food chain?
- A food chain shows the flow of matter and energy from one organism to another.
what is assimilation?
the process of photosynthesis and the absorption of raw materials in which plants derive their nutrients from. Raw nutrients which have already been converted to living tissues at a particular trophic level.
what is a Trophic level?
The position of an organism in the food chain
- each organism in the series feeds on, and therefore derives energy from the preceding one. in turn it is consumed by the next organism along the food chain pass ng on the energy it has stored in its cells and tissues.
what are decomposers?
an organism that utilises dead organisms or waste matter for its nutrients releasing simple inorganic molecules
They will excrete enzymes to break down the nutrients before absorbing them directly into the cell. since only a finite amount of matter is available in the biosphere, it is recycled.
what are detritivores?
an organism that feeds on detritus (waste or debris)
- this is a mixture of dead plant parts, skin undigested food, and dead organisms is called detritus
what is chemical energy?
Chemical energy, the energy stored in chemical bonds, is thus considered a form ofpotential energy
what is a Food chain ?
simple linear arrangement of organisms showing the flow of matter and energy from one organism to an other through feeding relationships. The food chain shows the direction of movement of matter and energy, the arrows show their direction of movement from consumed to consumer.
explain the biomass pyramid
- tertiary consumer
- secondary consumer
- primary consumer
- producers
- a pyramid diagram that shows the relative proportions of each trophic level in each ecosystem
- energy goes up
