Interactions with ecosystems Flashcards
Producer (they convert _____ matter into _____ matter?)
An autotroph, capable of converting inorganic matter into organic matter with the assistance of light energy
Chemosynthesizer (convert _____ matter into _____ matter)
A form of self feeder (convert inorganic matter into other forms of inorganic matter, extract energy from the chemical bonds) ex: nitrogen fixing bacteria
Consumer
Heterotroph, consume autotrophs or heterotrophs for energy.
Primary consumers
“herbivores” consume plants
secondary, tertiary and quaternary consumers
classified as carnivores as they are consuming meat
Apex predator
the final consumer in a chain
Detritivores
actually eat up the material
Decomposers
more general, breaks down dead material or waste
Trophic level
the feeding level where energy and matter is transferred
How is a trophic level identified?
by the number of energy transfers that have taken place from the original solar energy entering a system.
Efficiency of energy between trophic levels
Only 10% of the energy from the previous trophic level is transferred, which leaves 90% of the energy as waste.
First law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can be converted from one form to another
Second law of thermodynamics
During an energy conversion, some useful energy is lost as heat (no system is 100% efficient)
Food chains
A linear depiction of energy transfer in an ecosystem
Food webs
Interactions of several food chains. Shows the diversity of food sources that members of a community may rely on
