Energy Flow Through Ecosystems - AP Biology

Gross Primary Productivity. Total energy captured by producers before respiratory losses.

The total mass of living matter within a given unit of environmental area. Includes all living organisms in a specific area or ecosystem.

Producers. Producers capture the most solar energy through photosynthesis.

10%. Known as the 10% rule due to metabolic inefficiencies.

Only 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level. Explains why energy transfer between trophic levels is highly inefficient.

To consume decomposing organic matter. Feed on dead organic material, accelerating decomposition processes.

A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem. Shows realistic feeding relationships with multiple pathways and connections.

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass. Shows direct feeding relationships from producers to top consumers.

Solar energy. Sunlight powers photosynthesis that drives all food web energy.

Producers. Autotrophs that capture energy and create organic matter from inorganic sources.

A graphical representation showing biomass, energy, or numbers at each trophic level. Displays quantitative relationships between trophic levels in ecosystems.

The Sun. Solar radiation powers virtually all ecosystems on Earth.

A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend. Their removal causes dramatic changes throughout the entire ecosystem structure.

They consume primary consumers. Carnivores that feed on herbivores in the food chain.

Cellular respiration. Breaks down glucose to release ATP for cellular functions.

Phytoplankton. Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that form the aquatic food base.

Heat. Most energy is lost as thermal energy during metabolism.

The energy available at each trophic level in an ecosystem. Demonstrates decreasing energy availability up the food chain.

NPP = GPP - R. GPP minus respiratory losses equals energy available for growth.

Energy pyramid. Shows energy availability decreasing at higher trophic levels.

They consume both plants and animals. Mixed feeders that can occupy multiple trophic levels simultaneously.

The total biomass at each trophic level. Shows the mass of organisms at each feeding level.

Primary producers. Autotrophs synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water.

A food chain is linear; a food web is complex and interconnected. Food webs show realistic multiple feeding relationships between organisms.

As heat during metabolic processes. Cellular respiration releases unusable thermal energy to the environment.

Autotrophs produce their own food; heterotrophs consume others for energy. Distinguishes self-feeding organisms from those requiring external food sources.

From the Sun to producers to consumers to decomposers. Energy moves unidirectionally from sun through all trophic levels.

Convert solar energy into chemical energy via photosynthesis. Form the foundation of all food webs by creating organic compounds.

Break down dead material and recycle nutrients. Essential for returning nutrients to soil and maintaining ecosystem cycles.