13.1: Food chains and Energy Transfer Flashcards
What do organisms rely on
Organisms of an ecosystem rely on a source of energy to carry out their activities
What is the ultimate source of energy within an ecosystem
The ultimate source of energy is sunlight. This is conserved as chemical energy in plants
What are the 3 groups within an ecosystem
Producers
Consumers
Saprobionts
What are producers
Producers are photosynthetic organisms that manufacture organic substances using light energy, water, Co2, and ions
What are consumers
Consumers are organisms that obtain their energy by feeding on other organisms, rather than from sunlight directly
Primary consumers eat producers
Secondary consumers eat primary consumers
Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers
What are saprobionts
Saprobiont’s are a group of organisms that break down complex materials in dead organisms into simple ones
What do saprobionts release back into the ecosystem
Saprobionts release valuable minerals in a form that can be absorbed by plants and contribute to recycling
What are examples of saprobionts
Fungi
Bacteria
What is a food chain
A basic means of displaying a feeding relationship in which the producers are eaten by primary consumers, which are eaten by secondary consumers, which are eaten by tertiary consumers
What is each level in a food chain called
Trophic Level
What is a food web
A more complex means of displaying energy transfer within an ecosystem
Why is a food web a more accurate way of displaying energy transfer
Because within an ecosystem it is more than likely an organism has more than one food source, and that each organism is linked in some way.
What is biomass
Biomass is the total mass of living material in a specific area at a given time
Why is obtaining a measurement of biomass tricky
Because while fresh mass is relatively easy to obtain, it contains a varying amount of water which makes it an unreliable measurement
How is biomass obtained
By measuring dry mass or carbon
