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Questions and Answers
Which organism is classified as a producer in an ecosystem?
What is the primary role of consumers in a food chain?
Which component interacts directly with both biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem?
How are trophic levels in a food web organized?
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What does ecosystem productivity measure?
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What characterizes a trophic pyramid?
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Which statement best describes ecosystem boundaries?
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What happens to energy levels as you move up trophic levels in a food chain?
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What does a trophic pyramid illustrate about energy transfer?
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Which process is NOT involved in the hydrologic cycle?
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What is the typical ecological efficiency assumed in a trophic pyramid?
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How does carbon return to the atmosphere in the carbon cycle?
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In an ecosystem, which component primarily transfers energy from producers to consumers?
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What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem's energy flow?
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Which term describes the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration?
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In which part of the carbon cycle is carbon transformed into fossil fuels?
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What is the primary purpose of a food web?
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Which statement best describes net primary productivity (NPP)?
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What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem's food web?
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How is ecological efficiency defined?
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What is gross primary productivity (GPP) often expressed as?
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Which of the following describes standing crop?
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Why do some ecosystems exhibit greater productivity than others?
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Which statement accurately characterizes a trophic pyramid?
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Study Notes
Food Webs
- Food webs are better depictions of trophic relationships compared to food chains because they include scavengers, detritivores, and decomposers
- Organisms can feed at more than one trophic level within food webs
- Arrows in the food web indicate the flow of energy
Ecosystem Productivity
- Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) is the amount of solar energy captured by producers in an ecosystem through photosynthesis over a given time
- GPP is approximately 1% of the total solar energy that reaches the Earth
- Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy they use for respiration
- Approximately 60% of GPP is used for respiration
- NPP represents the remaining 40% of GPP, used for growth and reproduction by producers
- The efficiency of energy transfer influences the energy at each trophic level
Biomass and Standing Crop
- Biomass refers to the collective mass of living organisms in a specific area.
- Standing crop is the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.
Ecological Efficiency
- Ecological efficiency describes the proportion of consumed energy that gets transferred to the next trophic level.
Trophic Pyramid
- A trophic pyramid visualizes the distribution of biomass, numbers of organisms, or energy across different trophic levels.
- Ecological efficiency is typically around 10%, meaning only about 10% of energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next.
- This efficiency can range from 5% to 20% in different ecosystems.
The Hydrologic Cycle
- The hydrologic cycle involves the movement of water through the biosphere, including:
- Evaporation: water changing from liquid to vapor
- Precipitation: water falling from the atmosphere as rain, snow, etc.
- Infiltration: water seeping into the ground
- The hydrologic cycle includes the following processes:
- Transpiration: the release of water from leaves during photosynthesis
- Evapotranspiration: the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration
- Runoff: water flowing across land and into streams
The Carbon Cycle
- The carbon cycle describes carbon movement through the biosphere, including:
- Producers: take up carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis
- Consumers: obtain carbon by consuming producers
- Decomposers: break down dead organic matter, releasing carbon
- Sedimentary rock: inorganic carbon is released through the weathering of rock
- Fossil fuels: organic carbon is stored in this form
- Respiration: organisms return carbon to the atmosphere and water
- Combustion: burning fossil fuels releases carbon
Levels of Organization
- The following levels are present in the biosphere, from simplest to most complex:
- Individual
- Population
- Community
- Ecosystem
- Biome
- Biosphere
Ecosystem Boundaries
- Ecosystem boundaries are often indistinct, making it challenging to define where one ecosystem ends and another begins.
- Even though ecosystems are distinct, they interact with each other.
Photosynthesis and Respiration
- Producers (also known as autotrophs) use sunlight to create usable energy through photosynthesis.
- Respiration is the process of releasing energy stored in chemical bonds, which organisms use to fuel their activities.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
- Ecosystem boundaries refer to the areas that encompass interacting biotic and abiotic components.
- Biosphere encompasses all the ecosystems on Earth.
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Description
Explore the interconnectedness of food webs, ecosystem productivity, and biomass in this quiz. Understand concepts like Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP), as well as the roles of different organisms in an ecosystem. Test your knowledge on how energy flows and is utilized within various trophic levels.
