EEB 3408W Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Carbon Cycle, Carboxylation, Ribulose
12 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Population & community ecology focus on organism abundance and distribution. Ecosystem ecology focuses on energy and element cycling. Need to know mechanisms and organism responses: species differ in effects on cycling, cycling influences distribution and abundance of organisms. Plate tectonics and organisms chemistries drive c cycle. Plates converge and more rock is exposed to carbonic acid weathering. Carbonic acid is formed from water and co2 in atmosphere. Then ca and bicarbonate wash into the ocean & are incorporated in marine organisms, ultimately buried. Sun is ultimate energy source for all ecosystems. Sun energy is used to fix co2 into reduced c compounds during photosynthesis. Plants, protists and some bacteria do this. Reduced compounds provide energy to the plants, their consumers and detritivores. Photosynthesis is base of productivity of life. When reduced c is consumed, co2 is respired and returned to the atmosphere.
