What are some examples of abiotic components?
- elements
- climate
- sunlight
- air
What are some examples of biotic components?
- microbes
- plants
- animals
First Law of Thermodynamics:
First Law of Thermodynamics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, in can only be transformed or transferred
Second Law of Thermodynamics:
Second Law of Thermodynamics: The entropy of a system and its surrounding will always increase - energy will always become more spread out
Matter _______ through organisms and the environment, it is ________ and _______.
Matter cycles through organisms and the environment, it is conserved and reused.
What is the source of virtually all energy?
The source of virtually all energy is the sun.
What is an autotroph?
A autotroph is an organisms that synthesizes its own organic compounds.
What is the difference between the two types of autotrophs?
Photoautotrophs: the energy from sunlight is used to synthesize organic compounds
Chemoautotrophs: use energy from chemical compounds
Why are photoautotrophs more prevalent than chemoautotrophs?
Sunlight is abundant, widespread and high energy, whereas chemical sources are limited and localized.
What is the gross primary productivity (GPP)?
The rate at which producers convert solar energy into chemical energy
What is the net primary productivity (NPP)?
The remaining chemical energy after deducting energy used for maintenance functions of producers, it is highly variable and will fluctuate depending on local environment factors, plant abundance and time (not an average and can be negative).
The most productive marine environment areas are ________ _____.
The most productive marine environment areas are coastal areas.
What can limit primary productivity?
- Sunlight (primary/abiotic)
- Climate (abiotic)
- Amount of photosynthetic tissue present (biotic)
Primary productivity changes ___________.
Primary productivity changes seasonally.
The potential rate of photosynthesis is proportional to the _________ and __________ of sunlight which varies geographically and seasonally.
The potential rate of photosynthesis is proportional to the intensity and duration of sunlight which varies geographically and seasonally.
Most intense day and day length is least variable:
Least intense and day length is most variable:
Most intense day and day length is least variable: near the equator
Least intense and day length is most variable: near the poles
Mean annual net productivity increases with both ___________ and ____________.
Mean annual net productivity increases with both temperature and precipitation.
The limiting nutrient has the greatest effect on ________ _____________ and can/cannot vary among ecosystems.
The limiting nutrient has the greatest effect on capping productivity and can vary among ecosystems.
What occurs when more phosphorus is available?
- Phytoplankton biomass increases
- Chlorophyll concentration increases
- Water clarity decreases
(Phosphate pollution/eutrophication)
What is a heterotroph?
An organism that cannot make its own food, and obtains energy by eating other organisms.
The reduction of energy and biomass with increasing/decreasing tropic levels affects ______ of populations of organisms at the top/bottom of a food web.
The reduction of energy and biomass with increasing tropic levels affects size of populations of organisms at the top of a food web.
What is assimilation, ingestion and egestion?
Assimilation is the amount of energy kept, ingestion is the amount of energy consumed and egestion is the amount of energy excreted.
How to calculate secondary productivity?
Secondary productivity = assimilation - respiration
