Chapter 55: Ecosystem Ecology

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11 Terms

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autotroph

organism that makes it own food and energy (auto = self)

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heterotroph

organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms

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herbivore

plant eater duh

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carnivore

meat eater duh

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decomposer

a type of heterotroph; break down dead organisms and organic waste, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem; critical for nutrient recycling

ex: fungi, bacteria, detritivores (worms, some insects)

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every ecosystem needs…

primary producers (produce the first instance of energy and nutrients) and decomposers (recycle nutrients)

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energy FLOW

energy starts as sunlight —> autotrophs —> consumers —> so on through out the trophic levels

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chemical CYCLING

chemicals are returned to the environment by respiration or decomposition

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two limiting factors of primary producers in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

terrestrial = temperature + moisture

aquatic = nutrients + sunlight

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ecosystems with the greatest net primary production per unit area

tropical rain forests, estuaries, and coral reefs

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ecosystems with largest total amount of Earth’s net primary production

oceans