Ecosystems and Energy Flow

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to ecosystems, energy flow, and ecological interactions.

Primary Succession

The process of ecosystem development following a severe disturbance, like a forest fire.

Opportunistic Species

Species that colonize an area immediately following a disturbance.

Pioneer Species

Species that are good competitors, able to establish early and persist long term.

Trophic Level

The position of an organism within a food web or chain, based on its feeding level.

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce organic molecules from inorganic sources, serving as primary producers in an ecosystem.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that obtain organic carbon and other nutrients by consuming other organisms.

Trophic Transfer Efficiency (TTE)

The measure of energy transfer between trophic levels, often averaging around 10%.

Food Chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.

Insolation

The amount of solar radiation reaching a given area, impacting energy availability.

Niche Complementarity

The principle that different species utilize resources differently, leading to more efficient resource use.

Liebig’s Law of the Minimum

States that primary production is limited by the nutrient that is least available.

Deserts

Regions created by descending air in Hadley cells that absorbs moisture, leading to low precipitation.

Hadley Cells

Tropical atmospheric circulation cells influenced by insolation, causing uplift and surface winds.

Trophic Pyramid

A graphical representation of the biomass or productivity at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Heat Energy Loss

Energy that is lost as heat at each trophic level, impacting the efficiency of energy transfer.

Ecosystem

The community of living organisms and the abiotic factors with which they interact.