Hazel Ann L. College Department of Biolo Energy -ability to do work -non-cyclic and unidirectional flow + Losses at each transfer from one trophic level to another ~ Losses as heat from respiration ~ Inefficiencies in processingLaw of Thermodynamics + Law of Conservation of Energy ~ “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed but merely transformed to another form. Law of Entropy - “No process involving an energy transformation will spontaneously occur unless there is degradation of energy from a concentrated form into a dispersed form, Trophic Cascade *an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain, which often results in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling.Population Control Bottom- Up Control + states that it is the nutrient supply to the primary producers that ultimately controls how ecosystems function. Top- Down Control + states that predation and grazing by higher trophic levels on lower trophic levels ultimately controls ecosystem function.Food Chain se ( es ae Food Chain + Linear system of links in a food web starting from producers and end with the apex predator and detritivores. + shows how the organisms are related with each other by the food they eat. Trophic Level -the position that an organism occupies in a food chainFood Web *consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. +Each living thing in an ecosystem is part of multiple food chains. Each food chain is one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem. All of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web. Grazing Food Webae Food Web ‘ The Soil Food Web Marine Food WebEcological Pyramid + Energy Pyramid * Pyramid of Numbers + Pyramid of Biomass Energy Pyramid +A graphical model that is shaped like a pyramid to show how the enerey flows through a food chain, how the amount of energy is decreasing and becoming less available for organisms as it enters each trophic level, and how much ‘of the nergy in the ecosystem is lost to heat.-The number of organisms in a food chain can be represented graphically in a pyramid. Each bar represents the number of individuals at gach trophic level (feeding level) in the food chain. iN \ 4 2 ¢ Pyramid of Biomass + they represent the quantitative relationships of the standing crops. In this pyramid there is a gradual decrease in the biomass from the producers to the higher trophic levels. +The biomass here the net organisms collected from each feeding level and are then dried and weighed. This dry weight is the BIOMASS and it represents the amount of energy available in the form of organic matter of the organisms.Pyramid of Biomass Upright occurs when the larger net + Inverted mass of producers support a ller weight of consumers. ies Prom non Aquos tearm Geologic Process + Internal Processes “those that occur or affect the Earth’s interior ~ Energy driving the process is the heat coming from the earth’s interior + External Processes ~ affect the surface of the Earth ~ Change based on the sun's energy or gravityInternal Processes Mantle Convection +Movement of the — plate tectonics * Convection currents and uneven heat flows passing through the core and the mantle break up _the overlying crust into huge blocksAfter a period of time, the built up energy and movement causes huge tension in the plates, and there is massive pressure on the fault lines. This intense pressure resulting from energy build up causes the fault lines give way, and plates move over, against. or apart from each other. External Processes+ Erosion loosened materials as well as materials not yet separated, is dissolved, loosened or worn away from one part of the earth’s surface and deposited in other places Weathering -breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earths surface. Water, ice, acids, salt, plants, animals, and changes in temperature are all agents of weathering. 2 types > Physical Weathering Water Water seeps into cracks and crevices in rock. If the temperature drops low enough, the water will freeze. When water freezes, it expands. The ice then works as a wedge. It slowly widens the cracks and splits the rock. When ice melts, water performs the act of, erosion by camying away the iny rock fragments lost in the split. Temperature The changes in temperature cause the rock to expand and contract. As this happens over and over again, the rock weakens. Over time, it crumbles.Salt Saltwater sometimes gets into the cracks and pores of rock. If the saltwater evaporates, salt crystals are left behind. As the crystals grow, they put pressure on the rock, slowly breaking it apart. Plants and Animals The seed of a tree may sprout in soil that has collected in a cracked rock. As the roots grow, they widen the cracks, eventually breaking the rock into pieces. Over time, trees can break apart even large rocks. Even small plants, such as mosses, can enlarge tiny cracks as they grow. > Chemical Weathering Acid rain carbon dioxide from the air or soil combines with water. This produces a weak acid, called carbonic acid, that can dissolve rock Rust chemical weathering works on rocks that contain iron. These rocks rust in a process called oxidation. As the rust expands, it weakens the rock and helps break it apart