Aquatic Food Webs and Energy Transfer

These flashcards cover key concepts related to aquatic food webs, energy transfer, and interspecific interactions in ecology.

Energy transfer efficiency

Energy transfer is often inefficient, with losses occurring at each trophic level.

Solar energy conversion

Solar energy is converted to glucose through photosynthesis in plants.

Biomass

The total mass of living matter in a given area or volume, often stored as energy.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells maintain energy through the conversion of glucose into usable energy.

Zooplankton

Planktonic animals that serve as primary consumers in aquatic environments.

Primary producers in aquatic environments

Typically include single-celled, microscopic organisms such as phytoplankton and bacteria.

Aquatic food web

A network of interactions among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an aquatic ecosystem.

Suspension feeding

A feeding strategy where organisms capture and ingest suspended food particles from water.

Interspecific interactions

Interactions between different species, key for understanding ecological relationships.

Community in ecology

An assemblage of species that coexist in the same location and interact with each other.

Types of interspecific interactions

Include competition, mutualism, predation, herbivory, and parasitism.

Suspension feeder examples

Include organisms like corals, sponges, and baleen whales that filter food from water.