Biological Productivity and Energy Flow Chapter 9 Biological Productivity and Energy Flow Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Biological Production Biomass - the total amount of organic matter on Earth or in any ecosystem. Biological Production - the capture of usable energy from the environment to produce organic compounds in which that energy in stored Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Two Kinds of Biological Production Primary Production Make their own organic matter from a source of energy and an inorganic compound Carried out by autotrophs and chemoautothrophs Ex) photosynthesis 2. Secondary Production Cannot make their own organic compounds and therefore must feed on other living things Carried out by heterotrophs Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Environmental Science 5e The use of energy from organic matter by most heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms is accomplished through respiration. Respiration: the use of biomass to release energy that can be used to do work Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Environmental Science 5e Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Gross and Net Production The production of biomass and it’s use as a source of energy by autotrophs includes three steps: Gross Production: An organism produces organic matter within it’s body It uses some of this new organic matter as a fuel in respiration It stores some of the newly produced organic matter for future use The amount left over after utilization is called Net Production Net Production = Gross Production - Respiration Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Environmental Science 5e Energy Flow Ecosystem Energy Flow The movement of energy through an ecosystem from the external environment through a series of organisms and back to the external environment Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Environmental Science 5e Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

The Laws of Thermodynamics 1st Law of Thermodynamics - (the law of conservation of energy) Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It is merely changed from one form to another 2nd Law of Thermodynamics - Energy always changes from a more useful, higher quality from to a less useful, lower quality form Thermodynamic System - Formed by an energy source, ecosystem and energy sink, where the ecosystem is said to be an intermediate system between the energy source and the energy sink Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Energy Efficiency and Transfer Efficiency -the ratio of output to input, or the amount of useful work obtained by some amount of available energy. Trophic-level efficiency - a ecological measure of energy efficiency - the ratio of production of one trophic level to the production of the next lower trophic level Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

Environmental Science 5e Some Example of Energy Flow: Energy Flow in an Old-Field Food Chain Energy Flow in a Stream or River Energy Flow in Ocean Ecosystems Chemosynthetic Energy Flow in the Ocean Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e