Flow of energy in a forest ecosystem. [Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire]

Journal Article · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · Sci. Am.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5015407

Gosz, J R ^[1]; Holmes, R T; Likens, G E; Bormann, F H

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1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque

There are three general ways to investigate the dynamics of energy in nature, each of which has its own inherent strengths and weaknesses. The most specific approach is population analysis, which estimates the energy budget of a particular population in the wild. The analysis is done by determining the amount of energy in the form of organic matter that is consumed, assimilated and excreted by individual organisms, together with the amount of energy required for growth and for maintenance activities such as respiration (the oxidation of foodstuff). These data, obtained in the laboratory, are then combined with demographic surveys of the population in its natural habitat to yield an estimate of how much energy the population utilizes. The second approach is food-chain analysis, in which the population energetics of only one or two species at different levels of a food chain is investigated. For example, a plant species may serve as food for a species of insect, which in turn serves as food for a species of bird. Each species is viewed as forming a single link in the food chain, and alternative pathways for energy flow are ignored. The third and the broadest approach is ecosystem analysis, in which the amount of energy transferred between the consumer compartments in an ecosystem is quantified. Since the inputs and outputs of each compartment can be calculated, this approach makes it possible to draw up a balance sheet for energy flow. To provide a bookkeeping structure for the balance sheet, topographical boundaries are defined for the ecosystem under investigation, so that energy flow can be expressed per unit of land or water per unit of time. The energy is usually expressed in units of kilocalories per square meter per year. The ecosystem studied is in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated by the U.S. Forest Service in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.

• OSTI ID: 5015407
• Journal Information: Sci. Am.; (United States), Journal Name: Sci. Am.; (United States) Vol. 238:3; ISSN SCAMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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