B17- organising an ecosystem

Question 1

what are producers

Answer 1

producers = make their own food/produce most of the biomass for life on Earth

Question 2

name 2 producers

Answer 2

plants and algae are producers

Question 3

what are primary consumers

Answer 3

primary consumers = animals that eat producers –> herbivores or omnivores

Question 4

what food do secondary consumers tend to eat

Answer 4

Secondary consumers are often carnivores

Question 5

what is an advantage of being a herbivore

Answer 5

herbivores = pro - plants don’t move around

Question 6

what is a disadvantage of being a herbivore

Answer 6

con = must use a variety of methods to digest plants

Question 7

what is a disadvantage of being a carnivore

Answer 7

predator consumers need to catch their prey first before they can eat

Question 8

what are decomposers

Answer 8

Decomposers break down waste, and dead animals and plant

Question 9

name two decomposers

Answer 9

Decomposers are a group of microorganisms that includes bacteria and fungi

Question 10

what are the main elements in living things

Answer 10

the main elements in living things are C, O, H, N

Question 11

what are detrivores( name an example)

Answer 11

Detrivores - like maggots - eat dead things and produce waste material, which get broken down by decomposers

Question 12

what do decomposers and detrivores use the decaying organisms for

Answer 12

The decomposers and detrivores use some of the nutrients to grow and reproduce and release CO2, water and mineral ions as waste products

Question 13

what are the main stages of the water cycle

Answer 13

the main stages of the water cycle are: respiration, transpiration, condensation, precipitation and evaporation

Question 14

what would happen if there was plenty of prey

Answer 14

if there is plenty of food available, the number of prey increases
as the number of prey increases, the number of predators increases

Question 15

what would happen if there was plenty of predators but little prey

Answer 15

high number of predators eat a larger proportion of prey, so the number of prey falls with fewer prey, fewer food for the predators so the number of predators falls
and the cycle continues

Question 16

explain the carbon cycle

Answer 16

plants use CO2 in photosynthesis to make biomass, which that is passed through the food chain
living organisms respire, restoring some carbon to the environment
when biomass/fuel is burnt, it releases carbon back to the environment

Question 17

what are the concerns with the co2 levels

Answer 17

due to a lot of CO2 being returned to the atmosphere, scientists are concerned that the carbon cycle may not be able to maintain itself