Ecosystem Productivity & Seasonal Effects

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms about ecosystem productivity, producers, and how seasonal factors like sunlight, nutrients, and upwelling affect polar, temperate, and tropical regions.

Ecosystem

A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment where energy flows and nutrients cycle.

Producer

An organism, such as algae or plants, that captures energy from the Sun and converts it into glucose through photosynthesis.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which producers create organic material; measured by the amount of producer biomass in an ecosystem.

Energy Source (Sun)

The origin of almost all energy in ecosystems, supplying light that producers convert into chemical energy.

Nutrients

Essential minerals and compounds in water or soil that support producer growth and influence productivity levels.

Polar Regions

High-latitude areas where plentiful nutrients and long summer daylight cause a surge in primary production during summer.

Temperate Regions

Mid-latitude zones that experience a spring spike in productivity due to balanced sunlight and nutrients, followed by summer nutrient decline and low winter sunlight.

Tropical Regions

Low-latitude areas with abundant sunlight but generally nutrient-poor waters; productivity remains low except during winter coastal upwelling events.

Upwelling

The upward movement of deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface, boosting primary production—especially near tropical coasts in winter.

Seasonal Changes

Annual variations in temperature, sunlight, and nutrient availability that alter productivity patterns in different ecosystems.

Phytoplankton

Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms forming the base of aquatic food webs; their abundance indicates primary production levels.

Zooplankton

Small animal plankton that feed on phytoplankton and, in turn, support fish and larger predators.

Katharine (Shark)

A 2,300-pound female shark tracked by the OCEARCH team to study how marine species follow productivity shifts with seasonal temperature changes.

Ideal Season for Productivity

The specific time of year when an ecosystem reaches peak primary production: summer in polar, spring in temperate, and winter (with upwelling) in tropical zones.