ENVIRSC 2EI3 Quiz: podcast notes – ecosystems and biodiversity.docx
11 Dec 2014
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The sun = most important source of energy; fuels climate, earth"s life support systems, and cycling of matter; the energy reaching earth is only 1/50, 000, 000 of sun"s output. Governs relationships in organisms, the sum total of all uses of energy is metabolism. Energy = capacity to do work; radiant energy in sun"s rays, heat = movement of atoms; can be found in chemical bonds. Mechanical energy; potential energy = stored for later use (gasoline); kinetic energy = derived from object"s motion/mass (engine using gas) Energy doesn"t occupy space and has no mass; 1st law of conservation energy = energy can"t be created or destroyed it"s only changed from one form to another. When an organism dies, energy isn"t lost, returns to environment in other forms; 2nd law of entropy = when energy is transformed from one form to another there"s always a decrease in quality of usable energy.
