EVSC 1080 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Nitrogen Cycle, Water Cycle, Carbon Cycle
21 May 2016
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Document Summary
Biomass- the dry weight of all organic matter contained in the organisms of a food chain or web. The percentage of usable chemical energy transferred as biomass from one trophic level to the next is called ecological efficiency (10% is typical) Gross primary productivity (gpp) is the rate at which an ecosystems producers convert solar energy into chemical energy in the form of the biomass found in their tissues. The planets npp ultimately limits the number of consumers that can survive on earth. The hydrologic cycle, or water cycle, collects, purifies, and distributes the earths fixed supply of water. Humans have been intervening in the earth s carbon cycle by adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in two ways. In some areas, we clear trees and other plants, which absorb co2 through photosynthesis: we add large amounts of co2 to the atmosphere by burning carbon-containing fossil fuels and wood.
