Ecology Basics
This word represents the non-living components of an ecosystem.
What is 'abiota'.
This is also called the 'law of entropy', meaning that energy transformations always degrade some energy into less useful, dispersed forms (entropy increases).
Second law of thermodynamics.
A complex network of interconnected food chains.
Food web
This percentage of energy at one trophic level is passed to the next; the rest is lost as heat or waste.
10%
Give an example of a single component of the ecosystem that is considered 'mixed' (with both biota and abiota)?
Coral reefs (dead carbonates with live polyps building on it); Soil (dead sediments with live bacteria in it)
Explain how the first law of thermodynamics relate to ecosystems.
Organisms cannot create energy; they must capture or consume it and transform it (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration).
State one major difference between a food chain and a food web.
Complexity
Name 3 ecological pyramids
Pyramid of energy, pyramid of numbers, pyramid of biomass.
This is a transitional region where two ecosystems blend, e.g., marshland.
Ecotone
True or false: Energy pyramids are always upright, for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
True (Because only ~10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level; energy decreases at each step.)
The feeding level of an organism, based on energy transfers from the sun.
Trophic level
True or false - both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems have an upright pyramid of energy
True (both lose energy going up)
Biome: Large geographical area with similar climate, soil, and species;
What difference is there between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems?
Their biomass (producers are smaller than consumers, thus the biomass pyramid is inverted).
True or false: Plants have trophic level 0 (zero)
False - it starts at one.
The 10% rule of energy decline is as a result of this physical law.
Second law of thermodynamics