Mod 6+7: Energy Flows

producers

plants, algae, and some bacteria that use the Sun’s energy to produce usable forms of energy, such as sugars (also known asautotrophs)

cellular respiration

the process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds

anaerobic respiration

the process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen

primary productivity

the rate of converting solar energy into organic compounds over a period of time

gross primary productivity (GPP)

the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

net primary productivity (NPP)

the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

biomass

the total mass of all living matter in a specific area

standing crop

the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time

consumer

an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must therefore obtain its energy by consuming other organisms (Also known as heterotroph)

herbivore

a consumer that eats producers. Also known as primary consumer

carnivore

a consumer that eats other consumers

secondary consumers

a carnivore that eats primary consumers

tertiary consumer

a carnivore that eats secondary consumers

trophic levels

the successive levels of organisms consuming one another

food chain

the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers

scavenger

an organism that consumes dead animals

detritivore

an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles

decomposers

fungi and bacteria that complete the breakdown process by converting organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem

ecological efficiency

the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another

the 10% rule

of the total biomass available at a given trophic level, only about 10% can be converted into energy at the next higher trophic level

trophic pyramid

a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels

food web

a model of how energy and matter move through two or more interconnected food chains