All flashcards
Flashcard 1: How does energy flow in a food web?
Answer: Energy flows from producers to various levels of consumers. Energy moves upward but decreases at each level.
Flashcard 2: Which organism is an example of a decomposer?
Answer: Fungi or bacteria. These organisms break down dead organic matter.
Flashcard 3: What is a food chain?
Answer: A linear sequence of organisms where each is eaten by the next one. Each organism feeds on the one below it in a straight line.
Flashcard 4: Which organisms are considered detritivores?
Answer: Organisms that consume decomposing organic matter. They feed on dead organic material and waste.
Flashcard 5: How does energy efficiency affect trophic levels?
Answer: Lower efficiency limits the number of trophic levels. Energy loss restricts food chain length significantly.
Flashcard 6: What happens to energy not transferred to the next trophic level?
Answer: It is lost as heat due to metabolic processes. Energy converts to heat during cellular respiration.
Flashcard 7: What is the function of detritus feeders?
Answer: To break down dead material and recycle nutrients. They complete nutrient cycles in ecosystems.
Flashcard 8: Which trophic level do carnivores occupy?
Answer: Secondary or tertiary consumers. Meat-eaters are found at higher feeding levels.
Flashcard 9: What is the impact of removing a keystone species?
Answer: Disruption of ecosystem balance. Critical species maintain ecosystem structure and function.
Flashcard 10: How do food chains affect biodiversity?
Answer: Complex food chains can support diverse ecosystems. More pathways provide stability and species variety.
Flashcard 11: What is the primary role of herbivores?
Answer: To consume producers and transfer energy to higher trophic levels. Plant-eaters connect producers to higher consumers.
Flashcard 12: Define a food web.
Answer: A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem. Multiple food chains link together showing feeding relationships.
Flashcard 13: Which factor determines the base size of a food web?
Answer: The abundance of producers. More producers support larger, more complex food webs.
Flashcard 14: Which trophic level do carnivores occupy?
Answer: Secondary or tertiary consumers. Meat-eaters are found at higher feeding levels.
Flashcard 15: How do producers contribute to the carbon cycle?
Answer: By converting CO₂ into organic matter through photosynthesis. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Flashcard 16: What is the main source of energy in most ecosystems?
Answer: The Sun. Solar radiation powers nearly all life on Earth.
Flashcard 17: What is a heterotroph?
Answer: An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms. Other-feeding organisms that consume existing organisms.
Flashcard 18: How do primary consumers obtain energy?
Answer: By eating producers. They feed directly on plants and algae.
Flashcard 19: What is the function of detritus feeders?
Answer: To break down dead material and recycle nutrients. They complete nutrient cycles in ecosystems.
Flashcard 20: Identify the process by which producers generate energy.
Answer: Photosynthesis. Light energy converts to chemical energy in glucose.
Flashcard 21: What is top-down control in ecosystems?
Answer: Predator influence on lower trophic levels. Higher-level predators regulate prey populations below.
Flashcard 22: What is an omnivore?
Answer: An organism that eats both plants and animals. These consumers eat both plant and animal matter.
Flashcard 23: Identify the effect of energy loss in a food chain.
Answer: It limits the number of organisms that can be supported. Energy reduction limits population sizes at each level.
Flashcard 24: Which organism is an example of a decomposer?
Answer: Fungi or bacteria. These organisms break down dead organic matter.
Flashcard 25: Define ecological pyramid.
Answer: A graphical representation showing the trophic levels in an ecosystem. Shows energy, biomass, or numbers at each level.
Flashcard 26: What is an autotroph?
Answer: An organism that produces its own food from inorganic substances. Self-feeding organisms that make their own energy.
Flashcard 27: What is the energy source for chemosynthesis?
Answer: Chemical reactions, often in the absence of sunlight. Bacteria use chemicals instead of light for energy.
Flashcard 28: What is the significance of decomposers?
Answer: Decomposers break down dead organisms, recycling nutrients. They return essential materials to soil for producer growth.
Flashcard 29: How does energy flow in a food web?
Answer: Energy flows from producers to various levels of consumers. Energy moves upward but decreases at each level.
Flashcard 30: What is an example of a symbiotic relationship in food webs?
Answer: Mutualism, such as bees pollinating flowers. Both species benefit from their close relationship.