Unit 3 Flashcards
Ecosystem
a system of multiple communities along with their chemical and physical environments
Trophic structure
feeding relationships between organisms. Primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, quaternary consumer
Food chain
transfer of food energy through the trophic levels
Energetic hypothesis
limited bu the inefficiency of energy transfer along the chain
(-10% between each trophic level)
Dynamic stability hypothesis
long food chains are less stable than short ones
Gross Primary Production (GPP)
the amount of light energy that is converted to chemical energy bu photosynthesis per unit time (plants only)
Net Primary Production (NPP)
GPP minus the energy used by the primary producers for cellular respiration (R)
NPP=GPP-R
Secondary production
idk
Production efficiency
net secondary production/assimilation of primary production
Amount assimilated
amount actually used
Eutrophication
influx of nitrogen or phosphorus containing fertilizers in freshwater lakes. algae blooms
Limits in terrestrial ecosystems
temperature, moisture, evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration
amount of H2O transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil and other surfaces
Bottom-up
mineral nutrients, temp., light control plants (primary producers)
Top-down
change (+/-) in upper trophic level has an impact on lower trophic levels
Haploid (n)
one set of chromosomes (n)
Diploid
two sets of chromosomes (2n)
Gametes
sex cells (haploid)
Gametophyte
gamete-producing structure
Meiosis
cell division process which yields haploid gametes
Mitosis
cell division process which yields identical diploid cells
Alternation of generations
plants alternate between two different life stages, or generations, in their life cycle
Endotherms
produce their own heat
Ectotherms
rely on heat from environment
