Energy and Matter + Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

First Law: CHANGE

• Energy is neither created nor destroyed but can be converted from one form to another

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

Second Law: LOSS

• In any energy conversion you will end up with less usable energy than you started with. You can't break even!

What are the two different types of primary production?

Gross and Net

What is Gross Primary Production?

The rate at which all autotrophs capture light energy and convert carbon dioxide to organic compounds

What is Net Primary Production?

the rate at which photosynthetic organisms, like plants, capture and store energy as biomass after accounting for the energy they use for their own metabolic processes, such as respiration

What are the different trophic levels? And define them

Producers

• Photosynthetic

• Plants

• Protists/algae

• bacteria

Consumers

• Eat others

Detritus and Decomposers

• Eat dead stuff "decaying"

What is bioaccumulation?

• The buildup of contaminants in an organisms body

• This tends to  be true for fat soluble compounds.

• Organisms have difficulty processing those materials

What is biomagnification?

• Toxic substances become increasingly concentrated in higher trophic level organisms

• This is particularly true for fat soluble compounds