Bio-203; Ch 55 Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology
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21 Terms
what is an ecosystem?
an ecosystem consists of all the organisms living in matter an area, as well as the aboitic factors with which they interact
what two main processes are invovled in ecosystems?
energy flow and chemical cycling
what are detritivores (decomposers)?
heterotrophs that derive their energy from detritus, nonliving organic matter
what are the main detritivores?
prokaryotes and fungi
what connects all trophic levels?
decompostion
in most ecosystems, primary production is what?
the amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs during a given time period
the extent of photosythetic production sets what?
the spending limit for ecosystem’s energy budget
total primary production is known as what?
the ecosystem’s gross primary production (GPP)
how is GPP measured?
the conversion of energy from light or chemicals to the chemical energy of organic molecules per unit time
what is the equation for net primary production
NPP = GPP - Ra
what is net primary production?
the amount of new biomass added in a given time period
what biomes are among the most productive ecosystems?
tropical rainforest, estuaries, and coral reefs
which biome is unproductive? and why?
marine ecosystems because of their size
what is a limiting nutrient?
an element that must be added for production to increase in an area
secondary production of an ecosystem is what?
the amount of chemical energy in food converted to new biomass during a given period of time
an organism’s production efficiency is what?
the fraction of energy stored in food that is not used for respiration
what is trophic efficiency?
the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next
what does each tier of a biomass pyramid represent?
the dry mass of all organisms in one trophic level
the rate of decomposition is controlled by what?
temperature, moisture, and nutrient availability
what is biomediation?
the use of organisms to detoxify ecosystems
what is biological augmentation?
the use of organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem