Review the following:
2.1: Species and populations
2.2: Communities and ecosystems
2.3: Flows of energy and matter
2.1: Species and populations
- Species interactions, habitat, niche, biotic and abiotic factors, population dynamics (curves, limiting factors, carrying capacity)
- biotic factors - predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, competition
- abiotic factors - temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, precipitation
- realized niche - the conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions
- fundamental niche - full range of conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce
2.2: Communities and ecosystems
- energy and nutrient flows
- photosynthesis and respiration
- inputs, outputs, transformations of energy and matter
- food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids (be able to construct models from given data)
- trophic levels, producers, consumers, decomposers
- pyramids of numbers, biomass and productivity
- second law of thermodynamics - explain the transfer and transformation of energy as it flows through an ecosystem
- analyse the efficiency of energy transfers through a system
- bioaccumulation/biomagnification
2.3: Flows of energy and matter
- Ecosystems are linked together by energy and matter flows - the Sun's energy drives these flows, and humans are impacting the flows of energy and matter
- Solar Radiation (see Figure Below)
- Productivity
- Calculate values of GPP, NPP, GSP, NSP and R from given data
- Maximum sustainable yield
- Matter flows
- Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles
- Human impacts on energy flows and cycles
Practice Problems
Cattle graze on ryegrass plants and the fate of 1 year's growth of 1 m2 ryegrass is shown below.
What is NPP for the grass? How do you know?
Calculate GSP and NSP for the cow.
Calculate GSP and NSP for the cow.