Ecosystem Energy, Productivity, and Ecological Pyramids

Vocabulary flashcards covering energy flow, productivity, trophic levels, ecological pyramids, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification in ecosystems.

Ecosystem

The living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things in an area that are distinct, but not 100% separate.

Producers

Organisms that perform photosynthesis, establishing the base of energy for all ecosystems alongside chemosynthesis.

Productivity

The amount of biomass produced in a given area over a given time.

Primary Productivity

The manufacture of biomass through photosynthesis.

Secondary Productivity

The manufacture of biomass by organisms that eat producers.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical feeding levels in an ecosystem comprising producers and successive levels of consumers (primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.).

Energy Pyramid (10% Rule)

An ecological model showing energy transfer across trophic levels where only about 10% passes to the next level: Producers ($1{,}000\,\text{kcal}$), Primary Consumers ($100\,\text{kcal}$), Secondary Consumers ($10\,\text{kcal}$), and Tertiary Consumers ($1\,\text{kcal}$).

Biomass Pyramid

A trophic representation illustrating the quantity of organisms or biomass at each level, such as 1,000 green plants supporting 50 snails, 20 blackbirds, and 1 hawk.

Bioaccumulation

The absorption and storage of materials intended for nutrients and minerals, during which toxins accumulate in an organism as well.

Biomagnification

The increase in the concentration of chemicals with increasing trophic levels.

Types of Consumers

The ecological classifications of consuming organisms, which include herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, scavengers, detritivores, and decomposers.