Energy & Biomass in Ecosystems Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes about Energy & Biomass in Ecosystems.

Constant supply of energy

Ecosystems rely on this, and matter, to maintain their structure and function.

Energy and matter

Open systems exchange both of these with their surroundings.

The sun

Energy enters ecosystems primarily from this.

Heat

During energy transfer, some energy is lost as this.

Decomposers basic function

These break down organic matter, releasing energy and returning nutrients to the environment.

The principle of conservation of energy

The first law of thermodynamics is also known as this.

According to the first law of thermodynamics, the energy entering a system equals this.

The energy leaving it

Heat energy

Energy ultimately leaves the food chain, food web, or ecosystem as this.

Efficient

Energy transfers in ecosystems are not completely…, with some energy lost as heat.

Energy is transformed from a more concentrated form into a more disordered form, such as…

what does energy transform into - Heat energy

Cellular respiration

In ecosystems, the biggest energy losses occur during this process.

As a result of inefficient energy transfers, food chains are often…

Short

Photosynthesis conversion

Primary producers convert light energy into chemical energy through this process.

Autotrophs

Producers are also known as these.

The first trophic level

Producers form this trophic level in a food chain.

Photosynthesis

Sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water are inputs in this biological process.

Photosynthesis outputs

Glucose and oxygen are outputs of this.

Photosynthesis

Light energy is transformed into stored chemical energy, in the form of glucose, during this process.

The raw material for producing biomass

Photosynthesis produces this.

Respiratory substrate

A molecule (such as glucose) that can be used in respiration, to release energy for growth.

Organic matter

Respiration is the conversion of this, into carbon dioxide and water.

Kinetic energy and heat

Cellular respiration transforms stored chemical energy into these types of energy.

Chemical energy

Heat generated within an individual organism cannot be transformed back into this.

Entropy

The heat energy released increases this, following the second law of thermodynamics.

Trophic level

This is the position that an organism occupies in a food chain or food web.

Producers

These organisms produce their own food using photosynthesis and form the first trophic level.

Predators

Name the type of consumer that hunts and consumes other organisms for food.

Herbivores

Name the type of consumer that feeds primarily on plants and plant-derived material.

Detritivores

Name the type of consumer that consumes decomposing organic matter.

Parasites

Name the type of consumer that depends on a host organism for survival.

Saprotrophs

Name the type of consumer that decomposes dead organic matter externally and absorbs nutrients.

Decomposers function

Name the type of consumer that breaks down organic matter into simpler substances, playing a vital role in nutrient recycling.

Scavengers

These consumers eat dead animal carcasses.

Food chains

Feeding relationships in ecosystems can be modeled using this.

Carbon compounds

Producers make these by photosynthesis.

Producers or other consumers

Consumers obtain carbon compounds from these two sources.

Apex predators

These are carnivores or omnivores with no predators.

Decomposers

Traditionally, these are not included in food chains.

Food web

This is a network of interconnected food chains.

The transfer of energy in an ecosystem

Compared to food chains, food webs give more information about this.

The direction of energy flow and transfer of biomass

The arrows in food chains and food webs indicate this.

The total organic matter transferred from one trophic level to the next is never this.

100%

Gross productivity (GP)

This is total gain in biomass by an organism or community in a given area or time period.

Net productivity (NP)

This is the amount of energy or biomass remaining after losses due to cellular respiration.

Cellular respiration

Losses due to this are usually greater in consumers than in producers.

The maximum sustainable yield

The NP of any organism or trophic level represents this.

Measurement of dry mass

This is one common method for estimating biomass.

Controlled combustion

This involves burning a known quantity of biomass and measuring the heat produced.

Calorimeter

A piece of equipment known as this is required for controlled combustion.

Extrapolation from samples

This involves taking small samples of populations and extrapolating to estimate the total biomass of a population or trophic level.

Relationships between different trophic levels

Ecological pyramids visually illustrate this.

Calorimetry

Two limitations of this include a long drying time and needing precise equipment.

Pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy

Ecological pyramids include these three types.

A pyramid of numbers shows this at each level of a food chain.

How many organisms are present in each trophic level.

A pyramid of biomass shows this without including all the water that is in the organisms.

How much mass of living matter is present in each trophic level.

The flow of energy through trophic levels

Pyramids of energy show this.

Pyramids of productivity

These indicate the rate at which energy is being generated.

Pyramids of energy

These are always widest at the base and decrease in size as they go up.

Bioaccumulation

This is the build-up of persistent pollutants within an organism or trophic level because they cannot be broken down.

Biomagnification

This is the increase in the concentration of pollutants along a food chain.

Pollutants that can accumulate along food chains

DDT, mercury and PCBs are examples of…

Biomagnification

The concentration of DDT in the tissues of organisms increases at successively higher trophic levels in this process.

Coal-fired power plants and gold mining

Mercury is released into the environment through these activities.

Non-biodegradable

Microplastics absorb these types of pollutants, increasing their transmission within food chains.

Sponges

When in the environment, microplastics act like these.

Other pollutants and climate change effects

Human activities such as burning fossil fuels can increase photosynthesis rates. However, these can outweigh this benefit.

Carbon sink capacity of forests

Deforestation reduces this which contributes to climate change.

Heat islands

Urban areas generate these, increasing local temperatures.

Soil degradation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity

Intensive agriculture leads to these three things.

Autotrophs and heterotrophs

All living organisms can be classified into two groups based on how they obtain carbon compounds…

Inorganic sources

Autotrophs synthesize carbon compounds from these.

Consuming other organisms

Heterotrophs obtain carbon compounds by doing this.

Photoautotrophs

This type of autotroph uses light as their external energy source to produce organic compounds through photosynthesis.

Chemoautotrophs

This type of autotroph uses energy from exothermic inorganic chemical reactions to produce organic compounds through chemosynthesis.

Chemoautotrophs way to get energy

They oxidize substances like hydrogen sulfide or ammonia to obtain energy.

Chemoautotrophs location and function

These are the primary producers in extreme environments.

Herbivores

Consumers that obtain carbon compounds by consuming plants.

Carnivores

Consumers that obtain carbon compounds by consuming other animals.

Omnivores

Consumers that obtain carbon compounds by consuming both plants and animals.

Decomposers

Consumers that obtain carbon compounds by breaking down dead organic material

Biomass

Primary productivity is defined as the rate at which _ is produced using an external energy source.

Gross primary productivity

GPP stands for…

Net primary productivity

NPP stands for…

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The rate at which plants are able to store chemical energy or biomass via photosynthesis is referred to as this.

per unit volume

In aquatic environments, it may be more suitable to measure gross primary production by this unit.

Subtracting plant respiratory losses from GPP

Net primary productivity is calculated by doing this.

The energy available to organisms at higher trophic levels

NPP is important because it represents this.

Gross secondary productivity

GSP stands for…

Assimilated

GSP is the total energy or biomass that is consumed by consumers and becomes integrated into their own biomass through digestion and assimilation processes. Assimilation refers to the absorption and incorporation of nutrients and energy from consumed food into the consumer's tissues.

Net secondary productivity

NSP stands for…

NSP = GSP - Respiration

The formula for calculating Net Secondary Productivity is:

faecal loss from the mass of food eaten

Gross Secondary Productivity is calculated by subtracting this from this.

Sustainable yield

A resource can be harvested or used without compromising its long-term availability by using this.

Maximum sustainable yield

MSY stands for…

Lower trophic levels

Sustainable yields are generally higher for organisms at these trophic levels.

Energy-efficient and sustainable

The plant-based foods at lower trophic levels are the most and for human consumption.

Lower trophic levels

Sustainability in food production is much easier to achieve when humans consume from these.

Ecological Efficiency

Efficiency of energy transfer from one trophic level to the next is known as…

100% efficient

The transfer of energy in a food chain is not this.

10%

Generally, around this percentage of energy is available to the consumer to store in its tissues