Renewable Resources 05 February 2025

Utilitarian viewpoint

A perspective that allows for the control of wildlife, like wolves, to serve human utility, such as protecting livestock.

Biocentric viewpoint

An ethical paradigm that recognizes the intrinsic value of individual organisms, asserting that each wolf's life has value, and promotes no hunting at all.

Ecocentric viewpoint

A holistic view that emphasizes the importance of ecosystems as a whole, which may justify the hunting of some individual wolves to maintain ecological balance.

Albedo

The proportion of incident light that is reflected by a surface; high albedo means a surface reflects a lot of light.

Primary producers

Organisms, such as plants and algae, that produce their own food through photosynthesis and form the base of the food chain.

Gross Primary Production (GPP)

The total rate of photosynthesis in an ecosystem, measuring the total biomass produced by primary producers.

Net Primary Production (NPP)

The amount of biomass produced by primary producers after accounting for energy used in respiration; reflects what is available for consumption.

Trophic levels

The different levels in a food chain or food web, categorized as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

Detritivore

Organisms that consume dead organic material; includes scavengers and decomposers.

Energy pyramid

A graphical representation showing the distribution of energy among trophic levels in an ecosystem, where energy decreases as you move up from producers to top consumers.

Second law of thermodynamics

The principle stating that when energy is transformed, some energy is lost as heat, meaning no energy transfer is 100% efficient.

Ecosystem function

How energy flows and materials cycle through an ecosystem, involving processes that sustain ecological balance.

Food web

A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem showing how energy and nutrients flow.

Scavengers

Animals that consume dead animals or detritus, playing a crucial role in the decomposition process.

Ecosystem structure

The types of organisms found in a particular ecosystem and the patterns of relationships among them.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water, critical for sustaining life.