BS 182H - Ecosystem Ecology: Energy and matter movement

What does the base of the trophic structure represent in terms of matter and energy?

How much is available and how it moves through the system

What does the base of the tropic structure represent?

Net Primary Production (NPP)

How is the energy available at each level related to the level under it?

It’s less than

How much solar energy is absorbed by primary producers?

1%

What abiotic factor influences the amount of solar energy available?

Path and angle of the sun

How does energy travel through the tropic levels?

Ingestion of either primary producers or consumers

How much energy gets passed to the next tropic level?

~10%

How does carbon move through trophic levels?

Photosynthesis, respiration, consumption, death, defecation, decomposition, sedimentation and combustion