Ecology Flashcards
What organisms produce biomass?
Photosynthetic organisms are the producers of bio mass for life on earth.
What do food chains begin with?
All food chains begin with a producer which synthesises new molecules. On land, this is usually a green plant that makes glucose by photosynthesis.
What consumer eats the producers?
Primary consumers eat the producers.
What consumer eats the primary consumers?
Secondary consumers eat the primary consumers.
What consumer eats the secondary consumer?
Tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumer?
How do natural materials last?
All the materials taken from the environment by plants are returned to the environment and recycled to provide the building blocks for future organisms.
What do decomposers do?
Decomposers break down the waste, dead animals and plants.
Living organisms contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.
These are elements that need to be recycled to provide the building materials for all new life on earth.
Why is carbon dioxide important in the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide is used by plants in photosynthesis.
Why is the water cycle important?
The water cycle provides fresh water for plants and animals on land before draining into the sea.
What are the main stages of the water cycle?
This is where water evaporates from the surface.
It condenses and forms clouds.
It is then precipitated onto the earth as rain.
What is the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide to be used for photosynthesis.
Why are microorganisms important in the carbon cycle?
The decay of dead plants and animals by microorganisms returns carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
