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The relationships between primary production and environmental conditions have helped account for variation within ecosystem types, allowing ecologists to demonstrate that energy flows more efficiently through aquatic ecosystems than terrestrial ecosystems due to the various bottom-up and top-down controls in play. [23]
An isentropic process is customarily defined as an idealized quasi-static reversible adiabatic process, of transfer of energy as work. Otherwise, for a constant-entropy process, if work is done irreversibly, heat transfer is necessary, so that the process is not adiabatic, and an accurate artificial control mechanism is necessary; such is ...
In general, matter in diffusive motion carries with it some internal energy, and some microscopic potential energy changes accompany the motion. An open system is not adiabatically enclosed. There are some cases in which a process for an open system can, for particular purposes, be considered as if it were for a closed system.
The flow of energy in an ecosystem is an open system; the Sun constantly gives the planet energy in the form of light while it is eventually used and lost in the form of heat throughout the trophic levels of a food web. Carbon is used to make carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, the major sources of food energy. These compounds are oxidized to ...
Energy flow may refer to: Energy transfer, the transfer of physical energy from one body or place to another; Energy flow (ecology), the flow of energy through a biological food chain; Energy (esotericism) flow, the movement of spiritual energy; Fluid dynamics, energy of a flowing fluid related to pressure "Energy Flow", a 1999 song by Ryuichi ...
Properties of isolated, closed, and open thermodynamic systems in exchanging energy and matter. A thermodynamic system is a body of matter and/or radiation separate from its surroundings that can be studied using the laws of thermodynamics. Thermodynamic systems can be passive and active according to internal processes.
Adiabatic : No energy transfer as heat during that part of the cycle (=). Energy transfer is considered as work done by the system only. Isothermal : The process is at a constant temperature during that part of the cycle (=, =). Energy transfer is considered as heat removed from or work done by the system.
The second law of thermodynamics is a physical law based on universal empirical observation concerning heat and energy interconversions.A simple statement of the law is that heat always flows spontaneously from hotter to colder regions of matter (or 'downhill' in terms of the temperature gradient).