Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Energy Conversions and Feeding Sequences (Biomass (The percentage of…
Energy Conversions and Feeding Sequences
Biomass
the total dry weight of organic matter in organisms or ecosystems
The percentage of energy that is converted into biomass is dependent upon a number of factors:
Energy is lost as inedible materials – such as bones, teeth and hair
Energy is lost via excretion of undigested and unabsorbed materials
Energy is lost as heat from cellular respiration (higher respiration rate results in more heat lost)
Primary Production
the production of chemical energy in organic compounds by producers
Types of primary production
Gross primary production (GPP) is the amount of chemical energy as biomass that a producer creates in a given length of time
Net primary production (NPP) is the amount of chemical energy that is not consumed by respiration (NPP = GPP – respiration)
Secondary Production
the generation of biomass by heterotrophic organisms (consumers)
Properties
This biomass generation is driven by the transfer of organic compounds between trophic levels via feeding
Secondary production may also be categorised according to gross (total) and net (usable) amounts of biomass
Trophic Levels
The position an organism occupies within a feeding sequence
Properties
Producers always occupy the first trophic level in a feeding sequence
Primary consumers feed on producers and hence occupy the second trophic level
Further consumers (e.g. secondary, tertiary, etc.) may occupy subsequent trophic levels