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Ecosystem ecology ((Ecosystem- A particular location on Earth…

- - - - Even though it is helpful to distinguish between two different ecosystems, ecosystems interact with other ecosystems through the exchange of matter and energy.
      - Trophic levels
        
        Consumers (heterotrophs)- obtain energy by consuming other organisms.
        Primary Consumers (herbivores)- consume producers.
        Secondary Consumers (carnivores)- obtain their energy by eating primary consumers.
        Tertiary Consumers (carnivores)- eat secondary consumers.
        Quaternary Consumers (carnivores)- eat tertiary consumers.
        
        How many Trophic Levels?
        Terrestrial (land): Maximum is generally 4 to 5 levels starting with producer and running through quaternary consumer.
        
        Aquatic ecosystems can generally go 5 to 6 trophic levels.
        
        Food Chain- The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers.
        Food Web- A more realistic type of food chain that takes into account the complexity of nature.
        
        Ecosystem Productivity
        
        Gross primary productivity (GPP)- The total amount of solar energy that the producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time.
        Net primary productivity (NPP)- The energy captured (GPP) minus the energy respired by producers.
        
        Energy Transfer Efficiency and Trophic Pyramids
        
        Biomass- The energy in an ecosystem is measured in terms of biomass.
        Standing crop- The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.
        Ecological efficiency- The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another.
        Trophic pyramid- The representation of the distribution of biomass among trophic levels.
        
        Matter cycles through the biosphere
        
        Biosphere- The combination of all ecosystems on Earth. Region of the planet where life exists.
        -Matter cycles within the biosphere.
        Biogeochemical cycles- The movement of matter within and between ecosystems involving biological, geologic and chemical processes.
        
        All of Earth’s living organisms are composed of chemical elements-mostly N-CHOPS.
        
        Role of Water in Nutrient Cycles
        
        Water allows essential molecules to move within and between cells, draws nutrients into the leaves of trees, dissolves and removes toxic materials, and performs many other critical biological functions.
        
        Water is the primary agent responsible for dissolving and transporting the chemical elements necessary for living organisms.
        
        The Hydrologic Cycle
        Transpiration- The process where plants release water from their leaves into the atmosphere.
        Evapotranspiration- The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration.
        Runoff- When water moves across the land surface into streams and rivers, eventually reaching the ocean.
        
        The Carbon Cycle
        
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