Energy that is derived from the consumption of organic compounds produced by other organisms is known as secondary production.
Organisms that obtain their energy in this manner are known as heterotrophs, and they include archaea, bacteria, fungi, animals, and even a few plants (see the Case Study in Chapter 14).
Heterotrophs are classified according to the type of food they consume. The most general categories, introduced in Concept 5.4, are herbivores, which consume plants and algae; carnivores, which consume live animals; and detritivores, which consume dead organic matter (detritus). Organisms that consume live organic matter from both plants and animals are called omnivores. Further refinement of feeding preferences is sometimes incorporated into the terminology used to describe heterotrophs; insect eaters, for example, are referred to as insectivores. Here we briefly introduce some concepts of secondary production. In Chapter 21, we will discuss secondary production in more detail and in relation to the amount and efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels, the controls on the magnitude of secondary production in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the concept of food webs.
More on the topic Energy that is derived from the consumption of organic compounds produced by other organisms is known as secondary production.:
- CONCEPT 5.1 Organisms obtain energy from sunlight, from inorganic chemical compounds, or through the consumption of organic compounds.
- The vast majority of the autotrophic production of chemical energy on Earth occurs through photosynthesis, a process that uses sunlight to provide the energy needed to take up carbon dioxide and synthesize organic compounds, principally carbohydrates.
- CONCEPT 20.4 Secondary production is generated through the consumption of organic matter by heterotrophs.
- The generation of chemical energy by autotrophs, known as primary production, is derived from the uptake of carbon during photosynthesis and chemosynthesis (see Chapter 5).
- Net secondary production is equal to heterotroph growth
- Secondary Production
- CONCEPT 5.4 Heterotrophs have adaptations for acquiring and assimilating energy efficiently from a variety of organic sources.
- Net primary production is the energy remaining after respiratory losses
- Organisms influence their temperature by modifying energy balance
- The second law of thermodynamics states that during any transfer of energy, some energy is dispersed as unusable energy because of the tendency toward an increase in disorder (entropy).
- CONCEPT 20.1 Energy in ecosystems originates with primary production by autotrophs.
- CONCEPT 21.3 Changes in the abundances of organisms at one trophic level can influence energy flow at multiple trophic levels.
- Explain how interactions between organisms and their environment can affect other organisms and potentially lead to unexpected consequences.
- Energy flow between trophic levels can be depicted using energy or biomass pyramids
- Chemosynthesis harvests energyfrom inorganic compounds
- CONCEPT 5.2 Radiant and chemical energy captured by autotrophs is converted into stored energy in carbon-carbon bonds.
- Types of Consumption
- Oxygen concentrations vary with elevation, diffusion, and consumption
- Evidence of MAP in Animal- Derived Foods
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