CAS GE 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Primary Production, Carbon Cycle, Transpiration
Document Summary
Chapter 6: the flow of matter in the environment. Organic matter: matter with carbon in it: carbohydrates. Nutrient capture by autotrophs: most autotrophs get nutrients from the environment in an inorganic form. Phosphorus as phosphate (po4: atmospheric n2 is not usable, nutrients are transported in water through transpiration. Pressure gradient: 300-1000 kg of water to make one kg of dry material. Redfield ratio: the average composition of plant material. Nutrient capture by heterotrophs: all human proteins made from 20 amino acids, non-essential amino acids. 10 (e. g. cysteine: essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. 10 (e. g. tryptophan: kwashiorkor disease: shortage of essential amino acids. The flow of matter: biogeochemical cycle: matter is used over and over again, biogeochemical cycles. Residence time (flow relative to size of storage: types of flow. No energy required to drive these flows between storage pools. Matter moves from low to high concentrations. Energy is needed for this to happen.