Trophic Level in an Ecosystem: Each successive level of nourishment.
Ecological pyramids (balanced ecosystem)
Energy Flow (Ecosystem)
Energy transferred from one trophic level to the next is called ecological efficiency. It ranges from 5% to 20% ( a loss of 80 – 95%) depending on the types of species and ecosystem involved. 10 % typical.
- The earth can support more people if they eat at lower trophic levels by consuming grains, vegetables and fruits directly.
- There are few to such as eagle, hawks, tigers and white sharks.
- Top carnivores are usually the first to suffer when the ecosystem that supports them are disrupted. They are so vulnerable to extinction.
Productivity (Ecosystem)
- Gross Primary Productivity (GPP): The rate at which an ecosystem producers convert solar energy into chemical energy as biomass. Lowest GPP is in desert ecosystem, arid regions and Tundra (alpine and arctic) because of their low precipitation, low of very high temperatures.
- Net primary productivity (NPP): Biomass left for use as food for other organism (consumers) after respiration. The most productive ecosystem is: swamps, estuaries, tropical rainforest, etc.
NPP = GPP – R
- Secondary Productivities (SP): The rate of energy stored at consumer levels is called secondary productivity.
Food Chain: The sequence of organisms, each of which is a source of food for the next.
Food Web: A complex network of interconnected food chain. The shorter the food chain or near the beginning of the chain, the greater will be the available energy.
Tags:
