Energy and Equilibria (1.3)
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Notes & Review:Notes: Topics 2.2, 2.3, 1.2, and 1.3JEOPARDY REVIEW (2.2, 2.3, 1.2, 1.3) |
Laws of Thermodynamics
Two laws of Thermodynamics:
- Conservation of Energy - energy is neither created nor destroyed within an isolated system
- Entropy (disorder) in a system increases over time
- Through a food web, where energy is neither created nor destroyed. Rather it is constantly being transferred or transformed around the ecosystem or outside or into it.
- As energy moves through an ecosystem it is increasingly more chaotic, hence it is hard to perfectly model trophic levels, It is also consistently being lost or scattered around the ecosystem- hence creating more disorder.
Equilibrium
Equilibrium = the tendency of a system to return to its normal state after a disturbance.
Systems are in dynamic or static equilibrium.
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Why is ecological balance Important?
Ecosystem Equilibrium- includes simulator instructions Ecological Balance |
Feedback Loops
Ecosystems maintain their equilibrium through feedback loops. Positive and Negative Feedback loops work in tandem to keep a system stable, and able to withstand disturbance.
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Examples of Positive Feedback Loops:
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Examples of Negative Feedback Loops in Ecosystems:
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Resilience, Resistance, and Stability
System resilience measures the ability of a system to respond and recover to a disturbance.
System resistance measures the ability of a system to tolerate change in the short term. System stability measures the ability of the system to remain in the same steady state. The higher the resilience of the system the easier chance it has of dealing with the disturbance and return the system to its steady-state equilibrium. Resilience is generally considered a good thing within a system, as it resists extreme change.
What affects the resilience of an ecosystem?
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience Operationalizing resilience |
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Tipping Points
Tipping points are reached when an ecosystem can no longer withstand the changes or disturbances brought upon it, resulting in a shift to a new state/ equilibrium. This new state results in a significant shift of biodiversity and services the system can provide.
Characteristics of a tipping point:
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Examples of Tipping points:
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