Previous knowledge from the past semester

What is a system? A system is a set of components that function and interact in a predictable manner.

Ecosystems. There are several examples of ecosystems such as: Estuaries, swamps and marshes, tropical rain forest, temperate forest, savanna, agricultural land, shrubland, temperate grassland, lakes and streams, continental shelf, open ocean, tundra, desert scrub, and extreme desert.

Trophic levels. The term trophic level refers to the position it occupies a species in a food chain. An example of a trophic level may be:

Grass (as a producer) -- Grasshoppers (as primary consumer) -- Toads (as secondary consumers) -- Snakes (as tertiary consumers)

Taiga as an ecosystem. The taiga has a lot of different species. For example, canopy trees, which are producers, are eaten by primary consumers such as beavers. However, beavers are eaten by secondary consumers such as wolves. In here, we can see not only the different trophic levels, but the flow of energy via each individual. As well, we can see that in each consumption, some of the energy is lost as heat.