Ecosystems and Restoration

Flashcards about ecosystems and restoration based on lecture notes.

Ecology

The study of the interactions between organisms and their environment.

Primary Production

The amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs during a given time period.

Gross Primary Production (GPP)

Ecosystem's total primary production.

Net Primary Production (NPP)

GPP minus energy used by primary producers for respiration.

Net Ecosystem Production (NEP)

Measure of the total biomass accumulation during a given period; GPP minus the total respiration of all organisms in an ecosystem.

Limiting Nutrient

Element that must be added for production to increase in an area.

Evapotranspiration

Water transpired by plants and evaporated from a landscape; affected by precipitation, temperature, and solar energy.

Secondary Production

The amount of chemical energy in food converted to new biomass in the primary consumer during a given period of time.

Production Efficiency

The fraction of energy stored in food that is not used for respiration. (Net Secondary Production / Assimilation of Primary Production) * 100%

Trophic Efficiency

Percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next; usually about 10%.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Cycles in ecosystems involving biotic and abiotic components.

Decomposers (Detritivores)

Play a key role in the general pattern of chemical cycling.

Restoration Ecology

Seeks to initiate or speed up the recovery of degraded ecosystems.

Bioremediation

Use of organisms to detoxify ecosystems.

Biological Augmentation

Uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem.