bio Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem consists of a number of different habitats, where an ecosystem includes both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.
Define biodiversity.
Biodiversity refers to the number of different species that live in a specific area.
what is the main source of energy in biological systems?
the sun
Describe the flow of energy in biological systems(higher/supplement)
-light energy from the sun is trapped by photosynthetic organism
-Energy is stored at chemical energy in organisms
-Energy is eventually lost to the environment
what is food chain?
A way of showing the flow of energy between organisms starting with a producer
how is energy transferred between organisms in a food chain
By ingestion (organism eating other organisms)
what is a trophic level?
the position that an organism holds in a food chain,food web,pyramid of numbers or pyramid of biomass
why are biomass transfers not 100% efficient?
Energy is lost through
-egestion
-excretion
-respiration
why do food chains usually have fewer than 5 trophic levels?
Biomass transfers are not 1000% efficient and so there is often not enough energy to support 5 trophic levels
why is it most efficient to supply plants as food for humans?
-using the plants as food for livestock wastes energy as the biomass transfers are not 100% efficient
-eating plant transfers can maximize the amount of energy gained as there is only one transfer
what is a food web?
multiple interconnected food chains
what is a producer
an organism that makes its own food(usually through photosynthesis)
what is a consumer
an organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms
what is a primary consumer?
an organism that feeds on producers
what is a secondary consumer
an organism that feeds on primary consumer
