Ecosystem Guided Reading
1: What is primary productivity? What do we measure it in? (units)
Primary productivity is the amount of biomass the producefs within an ecosystem lay down. We measure it in "Grams of Carbon per Meter Squared per Year" (g C/m^2/ yr)
2: What are producers? Who are the main producers in the ocean? How is this measured in an aquatic environment?
Producers are the base of the food pyramid are autotrophs. The main producers in the ocean is phytoplantkon. This is measured based on the amount of light reflected back in the ocean
3: What is a trophic level? List and define the trophic levels. (Give examples) In which direction does the arrow go in a food web? Explain.
A trophic level is an eating level. The lowest trophic level are producers or plants. The next level up are consumers such as herbivores. The next level up is secondary consumer. The level up is third level consumer. The arrow in a food web flows up because the next level consumer always devourer the lower level consumer or a lower level consumer.
4: What is a food web? How is it different than food chains?
A food web shows all of the connections and all interactions. This is different from a food chain because a food chain only shows the upward flow of energy through the consumers and producers
5: Explain the limiting factors for growth in ecosystems. Explain logistic growth.
The limiting factors for growth in an ecosystems are density, food, competition, and geological changes. Logistic growth is the growth of a specie until it reaches a limit
6: What is the carrying capacity (K) of an ecosystem?
The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum limit of species that an ecosystem can support.
7: What factors affect the carrying capacity of a population? Explain how wolves and elk populations are linked and how they will reach equilibrium.
The factors that affect the carrying the capacity of a population are... Wolves and elk populations are linked as elk population decreases, wolf population increases. As wolf increase, elk will decrease which will cause the wolf population to decrease. This relation will continue to happen continuously
8: Summarize the story of the Whitebark Pine and how humans can impact an entire ecosystem by choices we make (directly or indirectly).
Whitebark Pine is found usually in higher areas. It is a type of pine that can survive low temperatures. The trees produce pine nuts for squirrels to eat. These nuts are stored in "mittens" and those mittens are often raided by bears. Global changes are creating warmer conditions to the Whitebarks, causing their numbers to decrease. This means there will be less nuts for squirrel store and less for bears to eat as well.
Primary productivity is the amount of biomass the producefs within an ecosystem lay down. We measure it in "Grams of Carbon per Meter Squared per Year" (g C/m^2/ yr)
2: What are producers? Who are the main producers in the ocean? How is this measured in an aquatic environment?
Producers are the base of the food pyramid are autotrophs. The main producers in the ocean is phytoplantkon. This is measured based on the amount of light reflected back in the ocean
3: What is a trophic level? List and define the trophic levels. (Give examples) In which direction does the arrow go in a food web? Explain.
A trophic level is an eating level. The lowest trophic level are producers or plants. The next level up are consumers such as herbivores. The next level up is secondary consumer. The level up is third level consumer. The arrow in a food web flows up because the next level consumer always devourer the lower level consumer or a lower level consumer.
4: What is a food web? How is it different than food chains?
A food web shows all of the connections and all interactions. This is different from a food chain because a food chain only shows the upward flow of energy through the consumers and producers
5: Explain the limiting factors for growth in ecosystems. Explain logistic growth.
The limiting factors for growth in an ecosystems are density, food, competition, and geological changes. Logistic growth is the growth of a specie until it reaches a limit
6: What is the carrying capacity (K) of an ecosystem?
The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum limit of species that an ecosystem can support.
7: What factors affect the carrying capacity of a population? Explain how wolves and elk populations are linked and how they will reach equilibrium.
The factors that affect the carrying the capacity of a population are... Wolves and elk populations are linked as elk population decreases, wolf population increases. As wolf increase, elk will decrease which will cause the wolf population to decrease. This relation will continue to happen continuously
8: Summarize the story of the Whitebark Pine and how humans can impact an entire ecosystem by choices we make (directly or indirectly).
Whitebark Pine is found usually in higher areas. It is a type of pine that can survive low temperatures. The trees produce pine nuts for squirrels to eat. These nuts are stored in "mittens" and those mittens are often raided by bears. Global changes are creating warmer conditions to the Whitebarks, causing their numbers to decrease. This means there will be less nuts for squirrel store and less for bears to eat as well.