Energy Flow and Population Dynamics

These flashcards cover key concepts related to energy flow in ecosystems and population dynamics as discussed in the lecture.

Producer

An organism which converts light energy to chemical energy through photosynthesis to produce its own organic nutrients.

Consumer

An organism which gets energy from feeding on other animals or plants.

Food Chain

A diagram that shows the order of energy transfer through feeding in an ecosystem, starting with a producer.

Food Web

A diagram illustrating how different food chains interact with each other.

Trophic Level

The position of an organism in the food chain, food web, pyramid of numbers, or pyramid of biomass.

Herbivore

An animal that gets its energy by eating plants.

Carnivore

An animal that gets its energy by eating other animals.

Decomposer

An organism that gets its energy from dead or waste organic material.

Pyramid of Numbers

A diagram that shows the number of organisms in each trophic level of a food chain.

Pyramid of Biomass

A diagram that shows the total mass of organisms at each trophic level of a food chain.

Carbon Cycle

The process showing how carbon atoms move between the atmosphere and living organisms.

Nitrogen Cycle

The process showing how nitrogen is converted through various forms to be used by living organisms.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area, at the same time.

Ecosystem

A system that contains a community of organisms and their environment interacting together.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size that an environment can support.

Sigmoid Curve

The typical growth pattern of a population that includes phases of lag, exponential growth, stationary, and death.