Topic 10.2 Flashcards
What’s a Trophic Level?
The position of an organism in the food chain or food web
How does the Food chain model go?
Producers>Primary Consumers>Secondary Consumers>Tertiary Consymuners>Decomposers
How do producers get food?
They make food via photosynthesis
How do Primary Consumers get food?
They gain energy from eating producers - usually they’re herbivores
How do secondary consumers get food?
Gain energy from eating Primary Consumers - they’re carnivores or omnivores
How do Tertiary Consumers get food?
Gain energy from eating secondary consumers - usually predators but can be parasites
How do decomposers gain energy?
From breaking down/feeding on the excrement or remains of plants and animals
What are the 3 types of ecological pyramids?
Numbers, Energy, Biomass
What are the themes of the Number Pyramid?
- The data is relatively easy to collect and doesn’t harm organisms
- Displays the number of organisms at each trophic level
- May be inverted dependent on the number of organisms of the type
What are. key features of the pyramid of Biomass
*Measures the weight of the biological material at each trophic level
* Takes organism size into account meaning more reliable trophic level comparison
* Water content can vary weight so dry weight is used
What are key features of the pyramid of Energy?
*Measures energy content at each trophic level
* Comparable to biomass
* Data usually in estimates
How much sunlight is used for photosynthesis?
1-3%
What does GPP stand for?
Gross Primary Productivity
What does NPP stand for?
Net Primary Productivity
What’s the equation for NPP?
Gross Primary Productivity +Respiration
