BIOL 2200 Study Guide - Ecosystem Ecology, Photosynthetic Efficiency, Food Web
Document Summary
Alfred j. lotka- the thermodynamic concept of the ecosystem. Before elton, ecology was mainly about plants. Organisms interact within trophic systems through which energy flows. The foodwebs show that there are more plants than rabbits, and more rabbits than foxes and more foxes than hawks. The pyramid of energy is determined by the ecological efficiencies at each trophic level- thermodynamics; which is structured around: Inefficiencies of biochemical energy transformations: energetic processes are often irreversible so energy is lost at every transfer. Efficiency is dependent on the work done by the consumer. Lotka is best known for his work on population modelling and for his predator-prey model. Elton introduced many central principles including succession, niche, foodwebs, and the link between communities and ecosystems. Odum"s model of energy flow through a chain of consumers. This model led to the definition of ecological efficiencies. The output in (a) goes to the next organism. The output to the next organism gets smaller and smaller.
