BIOL208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 33: Terrestrial Ecosystem, Defecation, Prairie Dog
8 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Decomposition in woodlands, forests, the artic and aquatic ecosystems. Energy starts from the sun moves up, yet a lot of that energy is lost. 1% became net primary production and only 1% was consumed by primary consumers and 95% lost through respiration. Nutrients: get recycled a lot before they are lost . Nutrient: elements that are required for development, reproduction, fitness. These categories depend on the context of the organism (some macronutrients may be micronutrients for other organisms). Nutrient cycling: can occur within organisms but also between organisms (scale matters) Happens in all ecosystems (at small and large scales). Decomposition: breakdown of organic matter and release of co2 that turns organic nutrients to inorganic elements so that they can be taken up by another organism. Abiotic factors that affect decomposition: temperature, moisture, environment concentrations of n, p, c, lignin content, etc. Because most of the energy budget is for plant and dead plant material.
