1. Ecosystems Ecology Part 1
AP Biology
Ecosystems Ecology
Part 1

2. Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling
Tertiary
consumers
Microorganisms
and other
detritivores
Secondary
consumers
Primary consumers
Detritus
Primary producers
Heat
Key
Chemical cycling
Sun
Energy flow

3. 10% Rule of Energy

4. Net Primary Productivity
Open ocean
Continental shelf
65.0
125
24.4
5.2
360
5.6
Estuary
Algal beds and reefs
0.3
0.1
1,500
1.2
2,500
0.9
Upwelling zones
Extreme desert, rock, sand, ice
500
0.1
4.7
3.0
0.04
Desert and semidesert scrub
Tropical rain forest
3.5 90
0.9
3.3
2,200 22
Savanna
Cultivated land
2.9
900
7.9
2.7
600
9.1
Boreal forest (taiga)
Temperate grassland
2.4
800
9.6
1.8
600
5.4
Woodland and shrubland
Tundra
1.7
700
3.5
1.6
140
0.6
Tropical seasonal forest
1.5
1,600
7.1
Temperate deciduous forest
Temperate evergreen forest
1.3
1,200
4.9
1.0
1,300
3.8
Swamp and marsh
Lake and stream
0.4
2,000
2.3
250
0.3 10 20 30 40 50 60
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500 5 10 15 20 25
Key
Percentage of Earth’s
surface area
Average net primary
production (g/m2/yr)
Percentage of Earth’s net
primary production
Marine
Terrestrial
Freshwater (on continents)

5. Productivity of the Earth (Based on Chlorophyll Density)

6. Eutrophication

7. Rachel Carson

8. Production Efficiency
Plant material
eaten by caterpillar
200 J
67 J
Cellular
respiration
100 J
Feces
33 J
Growth (new biomass)

9. Pyramids of Energy Production

10. Pyramids of Numbers (Think about how much each consumer eats over its lifetime.)

11. bog at Silver Springs, Florida.
Biomass Pyramids
Trophic level
Dry weight
(g/m2)
Tertiary consumers
Secondary consumers
Primary consumers
Primary producers
1.5 11 37
809
Most biomass pyramids show a sharp decrease in biomass at successively higher trophic levels, as illustrated by data from a
bog at Silver Springs, Florida.

12. Aquatic Biomass Pyramids
Trophic level
Dry weight
(g/m2)
Primary consumers (zooplankton)
Primary producers (phytoplankton) 21 4
In some aquatic ecosystems, such as the English Channel, a small standing crop of primary producers (phytoplankton) supports a larger standing crop of primary consumers (zooplankton).

13. Pyramids of Numbers