Ecosystem Structure Module

These flashcards cover key concepts related to ecosystem structure, energy flow, trophism, and productivity.

Energy Inputs

Energy coming into an ecosystem, primarily from the sun.

Energy Outputs

Energy radiating away from the earth, mainly in the form of heat.

Open System

An ecosystem where energy is continuously exchanged with the environment, such as energy flow from the sun to the earth.

Closed System

An ecosystem that recycles nutrients internally, without new inputs from outside, like nutrient cycling.

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce their own food, primarily plants and phytoplankton.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that consume other organisms for energy, including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

Primary Producers

Organisms at the base of the food chain, converting sunlight into energy through photosynthesis.

Primary Consumers

Herbivores that eat primary producers.

Secondary Consumers

Carnivores or omnivores that eat primary consumers.

Tertiary Consumers

Apex predators that eat secondary consumers.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy available to consumers after subtracting the energy used by producers for respiration from Gross Primary Productivity.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total rate of energy capture by producers via photosynthesis before accounting for energy lost in respiration.

Biomass Pyramid

A graphical representation showing the distribution of biomass among trophic levels.

Food Chain

A linear sequence showing how energy is transferred from one trophic level to another.

Food Web

A complex network of interrelated food chains in an ecosystem.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead organic material and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Detritivores

Organisms that consume dead organic matter and detritus, such as insects and worms.

Ecological Efficiency

The percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next.

Phytoplankton

Microscopic marine algae that are primary producers in aquatic ecosystems.

Chemosynthesis

A process by which certain bacteria produce food using chemicals instead of light.