#assimilation efficiency

Ecosystem Efficiency and Decomposition

In aquatic systems, why is assimilation efficiency higher?

Aquatic primary producers, especially phytoplankton, are often highly digestible because they contain little cellulose, lignin, or long-lived support tissue. Consumers can therefore absorb a large fraction of ingested material, producing higher assimilation efficiency than herbivores feeding on woody or fibrous terrestrial plants. The mechanism is food quality, not simply oxygen supply or species diversity. Aquatic detritus and heavily defended algae can be poorly assimilated, so the pattern is strongest when comparing zooplankton–phytoplankton links with terrestrial herbivory. Decomposition r

Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

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Ecosystem Efficiency and Decomposition

Which food part has lowest assimilation efficiency?

Wood yields low assimilation efficiency because most of its mass consists of cellulose embedded in hemicellulose and lignin. Vertebrate digestive enzymes cannot cleave cellulose, and lignin physically shields polysaccharides while resisting hydrolysis. Even consumers with symbiotic microbes recover energy slowly and incompletely, losing much material in feces. Seeds and fruits generally contain concentrated starches, oils, or sugars, while leaves, though fibrous and defended, usually contain more accessible cellular contents than secondary xylem. Carbon and mineral nutrients follow different a

Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

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Ecosystem Efficiency and Decomposition

Which of the following affects assimilation efficiency?

“Food quality” for which of the following affects assimilation efficiency. This relationship follows from the ecological mechanism represented by the terms in the item, not merely from an association between their names. Ecosystem processes are constrained by energy conservation and by the cycling of matter. Energy enters mainly through primary production, is lost as metabolic heat at every transfer, and therefore cannot be recycled in the way that carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, or water can. The remaining alternatives—“Body size”, “Prey speed”, “Sunlight intensity”—refer to different states, p

Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

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Ecosystem Efficiency and Decomposition

Which organisms exhibit nearly 100% assimilation efficiency?

“Bacteria/fungi” for which organisms exhibit nearly 100% assimilation efficiency. This relationship follows from the ecological mechanism represented by the terms in the item, not merely from an association between their names. Ecosystem processes are constrained by energy conservation and by the cycling of matter. Energy enters mainly through primary production, is lost as metabolic heat at every transfer, and therefore cannot be recycled in the way that carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, or water can. The remaining alternatives—“Invertebrates”, “Carnivores”, “Herbivores”—refer to different states

Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

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Ecosystem Efficiency and Decomposition

Which group has the highest assimilation efficiency?

“Carnivores” for which group has the highest assimilation efficiency. This relationship follows from the ecological mechanism represented by the terms in the item, not merely from an association between their names. The relevant inference should follow the pathway from resource supply to organismal uptake and then to ecosystem-level flux. Productivity, trophic transfer, decomposition, and nutrient regeneration are connected, but each measures a different part of that pathway. The remaining alternatives—“Herbivores”, “Detritivores”, “Seed feeders”—refer to different states, processes, or scales

Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

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Ecosystem Efficiency and Decomposition

Which term refers to the percentage of energy ingested that is assimilated?

“Assimilation efficiency” for which term refers to the percentage of energy ingested that is assimilated. This relationship follows from the ecological mechanism represented by the terms in the item, not merely from an association between their names. Ecosystem processes are constrained by energy conservation and by the cycling of matter. Energy enters mainly through primary production, is lost as metabolic heat at every transfer, and therefore cannot be recycled in the way that carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, or water can. The remaining alternatives—“Production efficiency”, “Trophic efficiency”

Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3

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