Chapter 54 Homework

1. Explain the difference between producers, consumers (primary consumers & secondary consumers), decomposers.

2. Explain what detritovores are.

3. Explain what biological magnification is.

4. Explain what the producers are in an ecosystem.

5. Explain what is primary productivity, gross primary productivity, and net primary productivity? How do they differ from one another?

6. Explain the concept of biomass.

7. Explain what ecosystem accounts for most of the primary productivity on earth (see figure 54.3).

8. Explain what are the limiting factors on aquatic primary productivity.

9. Explain why we have an energy pyramid.

10. Explain why some aquatic ecosystems have an inverted pyramid (this is very unusual and not the norm)? See figure 54.6.

11. Explain the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles (the College Board loves to test on these). Include illustrations of each.