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
