biology chapter 11

inputs --> production and/or processing --> outputs

living things that are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

an autroph that supplies all the organic matter on which other organisms in an ecosystem depend

converters that use simple inorganic chemical compunds of iron and sulphur as their source of energy and matter

• the chemical reaction using energy from the sun to make food
• carbon dioxide + water = oxygen + glucose
• 6CO2 + 6H20 = 6O2 + C6H12O2

the total amount of matter (mass) of living material in an ecosystem at a particular time

sunlight - producer - primary consumer - secondary consumer - tertiary consumer - top carnivore

tiny photosynthetic organisms - very small herbovires - small fish - fish eaters

feed directly on producers, eg./wombat, kangaroo, sheep

feed on primary consumers, eg./native cats, dingo, kookaburra

feed on secondary consumers, eg./eagle, shark

feed on both plants and animals, eg./foxes, humans

feed on dead organisms, eg./foxes

feed on dead or decaying organic remains and wastes, eg./dung beetles, earthworms, yabbies

break down complex molecules of the organic material in or on which they live, eg./fungi, some bacteria

organic wastes, including faeces and dead tissues

• a series of chemical reactions using glucose and oxygen to build ATP molecules
• glucose + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water + energy
• C6H12O2 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy

• synthesis
• growth and repair
• temperature maintenance
• chemical work
• mechanical work

relates to the percentage of the energy at one trophic level that ends up in the next trophic level

the collective term for the tiny heterotrophic organisms present in bodies of water

the collective term for the tiny photosynthetic organisms present in bodies of water

illustrates how energy is passed from one organism to another in an ecosystem

interconnecting food chains in an ecosystem

a diagram that shows the number of individual organisms at each trophic level in a given area of an ecosystem

a representation that shows the relationship between the total amount of dry organic material at each trophic level in a given area of an ecosystem

a representation that shows the transfer of energy from one level to another through a community

the cycling of matter through the living component of an ecosystem - soils and rocks, water and the atmosphere

dark brown organic matter in soil, derived from decomposed plant and animal remains (detritus)

• without oxygen
• this is how fossil fuels are formed

a reservoir of material or energy

a place of origin of material or energy

• the process by which free nitrogen is 'fixed' or combined to form ammonium (NH4) or nitrate (NO3) ions before living things can make use of it for growth
• all nitrogen-fixing organisms are prokaryotes (bacteria)

convert the ammonia released in urine and from the decay of faeces, dead plants and animals to nitrites (NO2-)

turn the nitrates in the soil into nitrites in the process of obtaining oxygen

• the continuous exchange of water between living things ans their non-living surroundings
• also known as the hydrological cycle
• driven by solar energy and gravity

falling of rain, snow, sleet or hail - gravity

soaking of water into the soil - gravity

flow of water from soil to deeper water-bearing sedimentary layers (aquifers) - gravity

flow of water from the surface of the landscape into rivers, lakes and oceans - gravity

change of state from liquid to vapour - solar energy

loss of water from the surface of vegetation to the atmosphere - solar energy

change of state from vapour to liquid by cooling - release of energy to the atmosphere

the accumulation of non-biodegradable matter in the tissues of one organism, passed along from the previous one in the food chain

unable to be broken down by the activity of decomposers