01:119:116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Energy, Transpiration, Nitrogen Cycle

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Biological Science
• Course: 01:119:116
• Professor: Daniel Stern Cardinale

Document Summary

Levels of biological organizaion: the biosphere, ecosystems, communiies, populaion, organisms, organs and organ systems, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules. Ecosystem: all living organisms in a community + the abioic factors, they interact with. Range from microcosm (litle world), to a large area such as a lake or island. Ecosystem"s dynamics involve two main processes: energy low is linear lows in a one-way direcion through an ecosystem, all materials vital to life are recycled. Ecologists study the transformaions of energy and mater within ecosystems. 14: energy flow: conservaion of energy, first law of thermodynamics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed, energy enters ecosystem as a solar radiaion produces trap. Law of conservaion of mass: mater cannot be created or destroyed. Chemical elements coninually recycled within ecosystems. Biogeochemical cycles: mater cycles from living to nonliving physical environment and back again. In order to recycle nutrients ecosystems must have, at least, producers & decomposers: trophic levels.