AS.270.103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Human Impact On The Environment, Energy Flux, Decomposer
23 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Less energy available at each subsequent trophic level because of law of thermodynamics. Most of the energy in the pool is channeled through the decomposer system rather than the grazer system. Detrital matter (i. e. wood) and fecal excretion from grazer system become the basis for decomposer system. Energy is inputted into the ecosystem and gets transformed, but is never recycled; the moment it is used up, it dissipates as heat loss (flux) Energy flux is bound with flux of matter (energy is bound in the chemical compounds) Nutrients have to be recycled within an ecosystem: while there is practically an infinite amount of energy, there is only a finite amount of nutrients, recycling is therefore critical: decomposers. Nutrient cycles are closed on a global scale in the short-term (no major input and no major output) On the other hand, nutrient cycles are open at ecosystem scale.
