Problem
Movement of Energy in Ecosystems
i. What makes studying ecosystems different than studying communities?
ii. How can an invasive species like earthworms substantially impact how energy flows within a forest ecosystem?
iii. What is the difference between the brown and green food webs? Which one do you think and old growth forest would be? Why?
iv. What are the main limitations to primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems, freshwater ecosystems, and open ocean ecosystems? How is this related to the law of the minimum?
v. Explain consumption efficiency, assimilation efficiency, net production efficiency, and ecological efficiency?
vi. Explain why there are is less energy at higher trophic levels than the trophic level 1 (producers)? Why is the aquatic biomass pyramid flipped?