1. Basic Ecology I Energy Types of Ecosystems Productivity Energy Flow Trophic levels Food webs/chains

2. Energy: the ability to do work Moving matter over a distance/ a heat transfer between two objects Kinetic energy: energy contained in moving objects Potential energy: stored energy Heat: energy transferred between objects High and Low quality energy: concentrated versus diffused Ie, wind compared to oil

3. Thermodynamics 1 st law: energy is conserved 2 nd law: with energy transfer, less energy becomes available Potential and kinetic energy

4. Energy and Ecosystems Chemosynthesis

5. Ecosystems

6. Productivity Limits to Primary production Light Nutrients Water Temperature

7. Energy Source for Ecosystem Energy flows through ecosystem Not recycled like matter Continuous supply Solar energy Enters ecosystem through photosynthesis

8. Equations for production Biomass 1 = biomass 2 – NP (net production) Three currencies of energy flow: biomass, energy content, carbon content

9. Trophic levels Autotrophs (Producers) Heterotrophs (Consumers) Detritivores (Decomposers)

10. Trophic levels Autotrophs (Producers) Heterotrophs (Consumers) Detritivores (Decomposers)

11. Chemosynthetic Light is not the source of energy

12. Energy & Biomass

13. Energy and Biomass

14. Food Chains/Webs

15. Aquatic Food webs

16. Limits to Food Chain Length Energetic Hypothesis Inefficiency of energy transfer 10% rule Dynamic stability hypothesis (length of chain)

17. Applications Human trophic Level Dependent of where we Eat in the food chain. Should Humans eat lower on the Food Chain? Biomagnification Toxic materials: DDT, Hg, Pb

18. Summary Energy determines the limits of the food supply Energy is fixed by autotrophs Energy flow between levels depends on the efficiency of energy transfer