BIOC50H3 Lecture : lecture note 4
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Trophic transfer efficiency (tte) = ce x ae x pe (often ~10%) The importance of the detrital food chain, as illustrated by australia"s dung problem: The point about the dung beetles in australia was the importance of the detrital food chain; australia has no native bovines, and thus no dung beetles that evolved with them. After cows were introduced by british colonists in 1788 (7 cows! The introduction of foreign dung beetles, at first from africa, and then other places, solved the problem. The example illustrates the importance of the detritivore members of the food chain. James lovelock"s gaia" hypothesis proposes that the feedback interactions between living organisms on earth and earth"s atmosphere explain the current chemical composition of the atmosphere (the composition is far from chemical equilibrium; 78% N2, 21% o2, 0. 03% co2 would not be possible without constant replenishment, and withdrawal, by living organisms) www. notesolution. com.
