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Primary Production
- Synthesis of organic matter by plants, which is the main source of
energy and nutrition for other consumers in the ecosystem (e.g.
herbivores).
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Respiration - Consumption of oxygen in the process of aerobic metabolism
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Detritus Formation
-Particulate material that enters into a marine or aquatic system. If
derived from decaying organic matter it is organic detritus.
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Secondary Production
- The production of living material per unit area (or volume) per unit
time by herbivores. Usually expressed as grams carbon per meter square
per year
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Food Webs
- A non-linear network of feeding between organisms that includes many
food chains, and hence multiple organisms on each trophic level.
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Nutrient Cycling - The pattern of transfer of nutrients between the components of a food web
