Ecosystem Interactions and Energy Flow

Definition-based flashcards covering the flow of energy and matter, trophic levels, ecosystem models, and biomagnification.

Metabolism

The process for which all organisms require a source of energy to survive as part of their biological functions.

Law of Conservation of Energy

Scientific law stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Food Chain

A simple model and sequence that links species by their feeding relationships, following the connection between one producer and a single chain of consumers.

Food Web

A model representing the complex network of feeding relationships between trophic levels within an ecosystem, encompassing many different food chains.

Heat

The form in which some energy is lost to the environment during transfer between trophic levels.

Biomass

Matter that results from energy being converted to new growth within an organism.

Pyramid Models

Diagrams used to show the distribution of energy and matter at the ecosystem level.

Energy Pyramid

A model showing the transfer of energy beginning with producers and working up the food chain to the top-level consumer.

Trophic Efficiency

The percentage of energy transfer between trophic levels, which can range from $5\%$ to $20\%$ depending on the ecosystem.

Idealized Pyramid Efficiency

A model of energy distribution based on a trophic efficiency of $10\%$ for each link in the food chain.

Biomass Pyramid

A diagram that compares the total mass of organisms at different trophic levels within an ecosystem.

Pyramid of Numbers

A model showing how many individual organisms are present at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Biomagnification

The process known for chemicals entering the food chain and building up in the bodies of organisms.

Domoic Acid

A toxin produced during algae blooms that can poison marine animals like sea lions and pelicans in the North Pacific ecosystem.