Sustanability Planet

• The trophic level refers to the position of an organism in a food chain or food web. Organism at lower trophic levels, such as plants and algae are primary producers that converts sunlight into energy through photosynthesis.
• Food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.
• Food web represents the feeding relationship between differents organisms in an ecosystem, including producers (plants), consumers (animals), decomposers (bacteria)
• Consumer-(primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, top consumer)= Organisms that eat the producers are known as primary consumers. These primary consumers are fed upon by secondary consumers, and the secondary consumers are then eaten by tertiary consumers. 

  
• Decomposers are organisms that break down dead organic matter, such as dead plants and animals, into simpler substances. 
• Detritivores are organisms that feed on dead organic matter, known as detritus. Detritus can include plant material, animal remains, and other organic debris. Detritivores play a crucial role in ecosystems by breaking down and decomposing detritus, which helps to recycle nutrients back into the environment. 

  
• Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food using energy from sunlight (photosynthesis) or inorganic compounds (chemosynthesis). They are primary producers in ecosystems.  
• Heterotrophs are organisms that obtain their energy and nutrients by consuming organic matter from other organisms. They cannot produce their own food through photosynthesis like autotrophs. Heterotrophs play important roles in ecosystems by decomposing organic material and recycling nutrients. 
• Herbivores are plants eaters, Carnivores are meat eaters, Omnivores are plant and meat eaters.
• Biosphere is everything in an earth's system that can be placed into four major subsystems; land, water, living things and air. These four subsystems are called "spheres". Lithosphere (land), Hydrosphere (water), Bioshpere (living things), Atmosphere (air)
• A biome is a large community of vegetation and wild life to specific climate. Some exempels


  Tundra: It is cold and a short growing season, Tropical Rainforest: It is warm and wet with a high biodiversity, Marine: Oceans and seas with variations like coral fees and esturies.
• An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environment.
• Biotic and Abiotic factors make up an ecosystem. Biotic factors are all living things like plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. 


  Abiotic factors are non-living things like sunlight, water, oxygen, precipitation, minerals, temperature, soil etc
• Community is a group of different species living in the same area.


  A population is a group of the same species living in the same area.
• Trophic level


  Each level of a food chain
• Primary consumers


  Herbivores that consume producers
• Energy pyramids


  Show the loss of energy at each trophic level in a food chain
• Photosynthesis by producers

  Captures energy from the sun which enters ecosystems
• Ecology


  The study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• Food chain


  A simple model that shows the feeding relationships between organisms
• Secondary consumers


  Carnivores that consume primary consumers
• Food chains always start with a producer
• Pyramid of energy


  Shows the amount of available energy, which decreases by 90% between trophic levels due to the 10% availability rule
• Ecology provides knowledge on how individual organisms are adapted to their environments through evolution and how their requirements shape their niches
• Photosynthesis and cellular respiration move energy and matter through ecosystems in a circular pattern, the circle of life
• Photosynthesis

  Converts light energy, carbon dioxide, and water into oxygen and glucose (chemical energy) using chlorophyll. Occurs in plant leaves and some other organisms. Crucial first step in nearly all food webs
• The amount of usable energy decreases at each trophic level due to the 10% rule, limiting the number of organisms that can be supported. This is depicted by energy pyramids
• Larger organisms generally exist at higher trophic levels as they require more energy to survive
• Energy transfer between trophic levels

  Occurs through food webs and food chains. Producers are eaten by primary consumers, who are eaten by secondary consumers, and so on
• Only about 10% of the energy is passed from one trophic level to the next, the other 80% is lost as heat
• Habitat


  The specific physical environment where an organism lives, including characteristics like climate, vegetation. Provides space and resources
• Human influence on the environment is increasing all the time through activities like pollution, deforestation, climate change. Understanding ecology allows us to anticipate the consequences
• Nutrient recycling

  Driven by decomposition
• Pyramid of biomass


  Shows the total mass of living matter. Amount decreases at each level
• The biosphere refers to all living things that inhabit Earth and their interactions
• Types of Energy Pyramids

  • Pyramid of energy - Shows decrease in available energy at higher trophic levels
  • Pyramid of numbers - Shows decreasing numbers of organisms at higher trophic levels due to less available energy
  • Pyramid of biomass - Shows decrease in total biomass supported at higher trophic levels
• Pyramid of numbers


  Shows the actual number of organisms at each trophic level
• Tertiary consumers


  Top carnivores that consume other carnivores. Also called apex predators
• Decomposers


  Heterotrophs like bacteria and fungi that break down dead organic matter and waste
• Abiotic factors

  Non-living physical and chemical components that living things rely on such as temperature, light, water, soil properties. These factors shape the environment inhabited by organisms