Energy transfers Flashcards
How is energy transferred from one trophic level to another?
Feeding
Another name for a plant is?
A producer
Another name for a herbivore is?
A primary consumer
Feeding levels are called?
Trophic levels
How does energy enter ecosystems?
As light energy and is transduced to chemical potential energy in the biological molecules produced by plants in photosynthesis.
How do you calculate NET energy production for consumers?
N = I - (F+R)
Where N = net production
I = chemical energy ingested in food
F = chemical energy lost in faeces and urine
R = energy lost in respiration
What is Gross Primary production?
Total amount of chemical energyconverted from light energy by plants in a given area, in a given time
How is 50% of the GPP lost?
As heat when plants respire
What is NPP? (net primary production)
GPP - R
What is biomass
The mass of living material, usually measured as dry mass or with a calorimeter
What is dry mass?
Mass with all water removed
What do teriary consumers eat?
Secondary consumers
What does the arrow show in a food chain or web?
Energy transfer
What does endothermic mean?
Means you maintain your body temperature
If we look at a pyramid of numbers it isn’t always pyramid shaped as larger orgainisms can be in smaller numbers. What would we look at to give us more information?
A pyramid of energy or a pyramid of biomass
Which pyramid of biomas isn’t always pyramid shaped?
One involving phytoplankton as they can multiply very rapidly
Are all pyramids of energy pyramid shaoped?
Yes, no exceptions
Why are there rarely more than 4 trohic levels?
Because too much energy is lost between trophic levels
How is energy lost between trophic levels?
Parts which aren’t eaten (yucky bits)
Parts which aren’t digested - egested (faeces)
Energy used in respiration for movement and heat production
Excretory wast (urine)
What is “conservation of energy”?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be tranferred
What is a saprobiont?
An organism which obtains energy by the extra-cellular digestion of dead organic matter.
