BIOL 117 CH 42 - Ecosystems and Energy

ecosystem

all the organisms living in a community, as well as the abiotic factors they interact with

primary production

the amount of light energy converted to energy by autotrophs during a given time

gross primary production (GPP)

total primary production conducted

net primary production (NPP)

GPP - energy used by primary producers for cellular respiration (metabolism)

secondary production

amount of energy in food that is converted into new biomass

net secondary production

energy stored in biomass

production efficiency

the fraction of assimilated stored in food that isn’t used for respiration

production efficiency calculation

net secondary production x 100% / assimilation of primary production

tropic efficiency

% of production transferred from 1 trophic level to the next (usually 10%)

biogeochemical cycles

nutrient cycles in ecosystems involving biotic and abiotic components (gaseous carbon, oxygen, sulfur,, and nitrogen cycle globally)

water cycle

water is essential to all organisms and light is the most frequently used phase

carbon cycle

carbon-based organic molecules aer essential to all organisms (photosynthesis)

the greenhouse effect

solar energy comes in but doesn’t go out, warming the inside of the building

impacts of climate change

rising sea levels, more droughts, ocean acidification, greatly impact agriculture, impact plants and wildlife