B16 ECOSYSTEMS Flashcards
What is a predator?
An animal high in the food chain which consumes pray, at least a secondary consumer.
What is a prey?
An animal that eats small animals or plants and is usually a primary consumer.
What is a consumer?
Consumers are organisms that have to consume (‘eat’) other .
• The first consumer in the chain is a primary consumer, then secondary, then tertiary.
• Consumers that kill and eat are predators.
• Consumers that are eaten are prey.
What is a producer?
Producers are organisms that can produce biomass (organic material) for themselves. Most produce do this using photosynthesis.
Why must material in the living world be recycled?
Material in the living world is recycled to provide building blocks for future organisms.
What chemical elements are recycled when animals and plants decay?
Decay of dead animals and plants by microorganisms returns carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and mineral irons in the soil.
Who uses carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and for what?
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is used by plants in photosynthesis.
Why is the water cycle important?
The water cycle provides freshwater for plants and animals on land before draining into the seas. Water is continuously evaporated, condensed, and precipitated.
