5.3 Energy and ecosystems Flashcards
(15 cards)
what is the main source of energy for most organisms
sunlight
what is biomass
total mass of living material in a specific area at a given time
what are the 3 groups of organisms
producers
consumers
saprobionts
what are producers
photosynthetic organism that make organic substances using light energy, water, CO2 and mineral ions
what is a consumer
organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms rather than using sunlight directly
three types of consumers
primary
secondary
tertiary
what are saprobionts
organisms that break down the complex materials in dead organisms into simple ones
- release minerals and elements that can be eaten by plants
what is a food chain
described feeding relationship in which producers are eaten by primary consumers, which are eaten by secondary consumers, then eaten by tertiary consumers
what is a food chain
described feeding relationship in which producers are eaten by primary consumers, which are eaten by secondary consumers, then eaten by tertiary consumers
what is a food web
within a single habitat many food chains will be linked together to form a food web
how do you measure dry mass
heat a sample of biomass until it is dry then weigh it
— scale up mass to work out mass of entire organism
what can a plants chemical energy formed and stormed be measure by
gross primary production
net primary production
what is gross primary production
total quantity of chemical energy stored in a plants in a given area
what is net primary production
store of energy that is available for growth and reproduction
GPP-RP
what farming practices makes transfer of energy more efficient
- keeping animals inside - restricted movement + controlled temperature
herbicides and pesticides > elimainatr pests
