Lecture 9 Ecosystem Ecology Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
includes all interacting populations and their abiotic environment within a given area
ecosystem can include multiple communities
What are ecosystems services?
ecosystem processes or properites that contribute to human well being
How do ecologist quantify aspects of an ecosystem? (3)
- environmental conditions (temperature, nutrients, substrates)
- Communities (abundance, species richness, species evenness)
- Spatial structure (distribution of populations and nutrients)
How do ecologists categorize and quantify ecosystem service via (4)
- provision (food, water, fiber, fuel)
- regulation (climate, water, disease)
- Culture (spiritual, aesthetic, recreation, education)
- Support (primary production, soil formation)
What does energy flux represent?
the exchange of energy among the abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem
What are primary producers?
photoautotrophs that allow energy to flow into the system
What is the difference between consumers and decomposers?
consumers eat living organisms while decomposers feed on dead organisms or waste products
What is the difference between GPP and NPP?
GPP represents all energy captured by primary producers
NPP represents the energy in the primary producer biomass
All energy for consumers and decomposers is from NPP
NPP varies across the earth but is highest where?
Highest along 0 latitude, the tropics
Why would trophic transfer be inefficient?
- maintenance - endothermy, tissue repair
- indigestible biomass (lignin, bones)
- Dodged consumption (organism lives out its life without being eaten)
What happens to production as it goes through higher trophic levels?
production decreases at higher trophic levels as energy is lost in assimilation
What is nutrient flux?
represents the exchange of nutrients among the abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem
Where is the largest pool of phosphorus?
marine sediments
Where is the largest pool of nitrogen?
atmosphere
Where is the largest pool of carbon?
rocks, oceans
