8.2: Trophic Levels Flashcards
What are tropic structures of a community determined by?
Feeding relationships between organisms
What is a food chain?
The transfer of food energy up the trophic levels
What are food webs?
Linked food chains
Any changes to the availability of ____ can disrupt ecosystems
Energy
What happens if energy resources change?
- If energy resources change, so can the number and size of trophic levels
- increase energy means increase trophic level/ size, vice versa
We know that changes in available energy can disrupt ecosystems. Why does this occur if there is a change at the producer level?
Change at producer level can affect the number and size of remaining trophic levels
- also remember food is stored energy
Species can be grouped into trophic levels based upon their main source of?
Nutrition and energy
Unlike mass, ___ CANNOT be recycled
Energy
What source of energy constantly supplies energy to ecosystems?
The sun
How do autotrophs aka primary producers create their own energy?
- they use light energy to synthesize organic compounds
Ex. Plants, algae, phytoplankton
What does it mean if an organism is chemosynthetic? What type of sources do they use as energy?
- they produce food using the energy created by chemical reactions
- methane or H2S
Ex. Some bacteria and archaea organisms (both prokaryotic)
What are heterotrophs?
Rely on autotrophs because they cannot make their own food
What is a primary consumer?
Herbivores
Ex. Mice, deer
What is a secondary consumer?
Carnivores that eat herbivores
Ex, coyote, fox
What is a tertiary consumer?
Carnivores that eat other carnivores
Ex. Bear
How do decomposers get their energy?
Get energy from detritus (non living organic material, leaves, wood, dead organisms)

Which type of organisms are usually decomposers?
- fungi and many prokaryotes
- prokaryotes main role in ecosystems is decomposition
Why are decomposers important to an ecosystem?
They recycle chemical elements
Ex. C, N, P
