ERTH 2403 Lecture 9: Life In the Ocean

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Earth Sciences
• Course: ERTH 2403
• Professor: Hafida El Bilali

Document Summary

Includes abiotic and biotic components: energy flows and matter cycles among these components of the ecosystem. Living systems: organisms, cannot exist without energy, cannot create energy, can transform one kind of energy to another, energy entering the system is processed and transformed, matter is recycled within ecosystem, sources of energy, 1. Sun light: photosynthesis, sun is source of energy. Light energy used by producers (photosynthesizers) which convert the light energy into chemical energy: consumers feed on producers, through respiration of consumers, energy is fed back into space, energy stored by photosynthesis, energy source is sunlight, chlorophyll pigment. Breakdown process yields some of the heat energy to space: 2. If no otters, sea urchin defeat/destroy kelp forest. Otters eat sea urchin maintaining the balance of the food web. I: si, s, micronutrients < 103 ppm, trace, fe, cu, zn, mn, biogeochemical cycles, carbon, photosynthesis important factor controlling carbon cycle, rate of respiration normally equal to rate of consumption through photosynthesis.