GEL 16 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Ecological Pyramid, Redfield Ratio, Frustule
Document Summary
Plankton - organisms that are transported by currents. Nekton - organisms that are strong swimmers. Benthos/benthic - living on or attached to the bottom. Ecosystems have different biological or trophic levels. Trophic pyramid - a model that describes who eats whom. Primary consumers - these organisms eat producers. Secondary consumers - these organisms eat primary consumers. Top consumers - the top of the trophic pyramid. Autotrophs - organisms that make their own food, also called producers. Heterotrophs - organisms that must consume other organisms, called consumers. The synthesis of organic materials from inorganic substances. When division occurs, one of daughter cells gets smaller. Eventually sexual reproduction allows cells to return to original size. Primary productivity rate is mostly measured by taking either amount of oxygen produced or carbon dioxide consumed. Oxygen measurements also used to estimate productivity and respiration. Zooplankton: heterotrophic they consume primary producers. Copepods: crustaceans - most abundant/widely distributed animal in the world.
