Questions and Answers
What is the role of abiotic and biotic factors in ecosystem ecology?
Abiotic and biotic factors play a significant role in ecosystem ecology by influencing the components, structures, and ecosystem processes.
What is the primary source of energy for life in ecosystems?
Only 1-2% of solar energy entering Earth's ecosystems is utilized by the food chains.
True
Entropy can be described as the degree of disorder or randomness in the _________________
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Match the trophic level with its description:
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Define autotrophs and provide an example.
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Energy from the sun passes to plants, then to ____, and finally to carnivores.
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What is the primary source of energy for the biosphere?
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Energy is lost at each trophic level in an ecosystem.
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Match the following trophic levels with their corresponding roles:
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Study Notes
Ecosystem Metabolism
- Ecosystem metabolism is the process of energy flow and material cycling in ecosystems.
- Energy from the sun passes through plants, herbivores, and carnivores, with energy lost at each level.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
- Life represents a local increase in order (decrease in entropy) powered by energy.
- Entropy is the degree of disorder or randomness in the system.
- Ecosystems need constant input of energy to function.
Solar Radiation
- Solar radiation consists of electromagnetic waves created by hydrogen nuclei fusion in the sun.
- The sunbeam spectrum is very wide, but almost all the radiation energy is in the visible light (400-700 nm) between the ultraviolet and infrared spectrum.
Sunlight Levels
- Communities process solar energy through green plants, and the resulting energy fixed via photosynthesis sustains all trophic levels in the food web.
- Only 1-2% of solar energy hitting Earth enters ecosystems.
- Tropical regions receive 2.5 times more energy than poles.
- Poles and temperate regions have seasonal fluctuations, which affects their ecologies.
Global Energy Balance
- The Earth emits a similar amount of radiation energy into space as the atmosphere and Earth's surface absorb incoming solar radiation.
- This energy balance keeps the global average temperature to about 15 °C.
- 1-2% of the spectrum (especially the red and blue light) is utilized by green plants for photosynthesis.
Trophic Level and Food Chains
- Trophic level: A feeding level in an ecosystem.
- Trophic: relating to feeding and nutrition.
- Organisms located at the same step in relation to the food source are on the same trophic level.
- The transfer of energy from plants to animals is done through several links called a food chain.
Modes of Nutrition
- Autotrophs use solar energy and materials from nonliving sources.
- Heterotrophs pick up energy and materials by eating living matter.
- Herbivores are heterotrophs that eat plants.
- Carnivores are heterotrophs that eat other heterotrophs.
- Heterotrophs are either consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and scavengers) or decomposers (saprophytes and detritivores).
Trophic Levels
- Levels of producers/consumers are trophic levels.
- First trophic level: producers – Autotrophs.
- Second trophic level: Primary consumers – Herbivores.
- Third trophic level: Secondary consumers – Carnivores (mesopredators).
- Fourth trophic level: Tertiary consumers – Top level carnivores (apex predators).
- Omnivores eat at many levels.
Food Chain
- Food chain is the linear unidirectional flow of energy and materials through the food from one trophic level to the other.
- In a food chain, each stage represents a trophic level.
- Food chains are interconnected.
- Animals of successive trophic levels in a food chain tend to be larger.
Ecosystem Metabolism
- Ecosystem metabolism is the process of energy flow and material cycling in ecosystems.
- Energy from the sun passes through plants, herbivores, and carnivores, with energy lost at each level.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
- Life represents a local increase in order (decrease in entropy) powered by energy.
- Entropy is the degree of disorder or randomness in the system.
- Ecosystems need constant input of energy to function.
Solar Radiation
- Solar radiation consists of electromagnetic waves created by hydrogen nuclei fusion in the sun.
- The sunbeam spectrum is very wide, but almost all the radiation energy is in the visible light (400-700 nm) between the ultraviolet and infrared spectrum.
Sunlight Levels
- Communities process solar energy through green plants, and the resulting energy fixed via photosynthesis sustains all trophic levels in the food web.
- Only 1-2% of solar energy hitting Earth enters ecosystems.
- Tropical regions receive 2.5 times more energy than poles.
- Poles and temperate regions have seasonal fluctuations, which affects their ecologies.
Global Energy Balance
- The Earth emits a similar amount of radiation energy into space as the atmosphere and Earth's surface absorb incoming solar radiation.
- This energy balance keeps the global average temperature to about 15 °C.
- 1-2% of the spectrum (especially the red and blue light) is utilized by green plants for photosynthesis.
Trophic Level and Food Chains
- Trophic level: A feeding level in an ecosystem.
- Trophic: relating to feeding and nutrition.
- Organisms located at the same step in relation to the food source are on the same trophic level.
- The transfer of energy from plants to animals is done through several links called a food chain.
Modes of Nutrition
- Autotrophs use solar energy and materials from nonliving sources.
- Heterotrophs pick up energy and materials by eating living matter.
- Herbivores are heterotrophs that eat plants.
- Carnivores are heterotrophs that eat other heterotrophs.
- Heterotrophs are either consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and scavengers) or decomposers (saprophytes and detritivores).
Trophic Levels
- Levels of producers/consumers are trophic levels.
- First trophic level: producers – Autotrophs.
- Second trophic level: Primary consumers – Herbivores.
- Third trophic level: Secondary consumers – Carnivores (mesopredators).
- Fourth trophic level: Tertiary consumers – Top level carnivores (apex predators).
- Omnivores eat at many levels.
Food Chain
- Food chain is the linear unidirectional flow of energy and materials through the food from one trophic level to the other.
- In a food chain, each stage represents a trophic level.
- Food chains are interconnected.
- Animals of successive trophic levels in a food chain tend to be larger.
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Description
Test your understanding of ecosystem ecology, including abiotic and biotic factors, energy flow, and trophic levels. Explore how energy is utilized in ecosystems and the concept of entropy.
