Ecology and the Environment - Feeding Relationships

Question 1

what is a producer?

Answer 1

organisms that produce their own organic nutrients

Question 2

what is a primary consumer?

Answer 2

herbivores that feed on plants (producers)

Question 3

what is a secondary consumer?

Answer 3

predators that feed on primary consumers

Question 4

what is a tertiary consumer?

Answer 4

predators that feed on secondary consumers

Question 5

what is a decomposer?

Answer 5

organisms that release digestive enzymes on dead organisms or non-living organic matter for energy

Question 6

what is a pyramid of numbers?

Answer 6

shows the population of each organism at each trophic level in a food chain

Question 7

what is a pyramid of biomass?

Answer 7

shows the biomass (amount of living material) of organisms in each trophic level

Question 8

what is a pyramid of energy transfer?

Answer 8

shows the transfer of energy with each trophic level

Question 9

how is energy transferred in a food chain?

Answer 9

• energy enters most ecosystems in the form of sunlight, where it is converted into chemical energy by producers via photosynthesis
• not all energy stored in organic molecules is transferred via feeding, only 10% of energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next

Question 10

what is energy in a food chain lost to?

Answer 10

• energy via respiration to enable movement of an organism
• energy may be lost as not all food is consumed by an organism
• energy may be lost due to incomplete digestion