8.2 Energy Flow Through Ecosystems
in AP Biology
Ecosystem dynamics involve two main processes: energy flow and chemical cycling.Energy enters most ecosystems as sunlight, is converted to chemical energy by autotrophs, passed to heterotrophs as food, and dissipated as heat.
To Think About:
How do organisms regulate body temperature and metabolism? What reproductive strategies do organisms use in response to energy availability? What is the relationship between the metabolic rate and size of an organism? How does a net gain in energy or net loss of energy impact an organism? How do changes in energy availability impact populations and ecosystems? How do autotrophs capture energy? How do heterotrophs capture energy?
Supplementary Resources:
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