Biology 1001A Lecture Notes - English Channel, Radiant Energy, Water Cycle

• School: Western University
• Department: Biology
• Course: Biology 1001A
• Professor: Tom Haffie

Document Summary

A few terms: community: all of the organisms living in some defined place, ecosystem: a biotic community and its abiotic environment functioning as a system, ecosystems are open systems (not closed) 2 major activities in ecosystems: production, consumption: production: new biomass is being created from inorganic substances, consumption: previously created biomass is being converted to new forms of biomass, 4 major components: Producers (autotrophs): make their own food (usually from the sun) Consumers (heterotrophs): everything that has to eat something else (this includes decomposers) In most ecosystems energy comes from the sun (light energy) Photoautotroph"s utilize this light energy to create biomass (creating energy by photosynthesis: chemoautotrophs depend on chemical energy to produce biomass (occurs when the sun is not present to produce energy) Nutrients: any chemical element that is needed for living things to grow or reproduce. Organic simply means carbon containing (exception of co2, carbonate) Micronutrients: something that organisms need in small quantities (ex: iron)