Ecology: Feeding Relationships

Question 1

Light energy

Answer 1

The sun is the primary source of energy on the planet- without it like could not exist.
This is because plants are able to absorb light energy from the sun and convert it into chemical energy in the form of food

Question 2

Producers and consumers

Answer 2

Plants are referred to as producers( they make their own food during photosynthesis)
All other living things rely on plants for their food and are known as consumers. (They consume food from plant)

Question 3

Food chain

Answer 3

The primary consumer is the first consumer and is often a herbivore.
The next consumer is the secondary consumer, the next a tertiary consumer. These maybe carnivores or omnivores

Each stage in the food chain is a trophic level(feeding level).
The arrows are used to link the organisms and represent the flow of energy

Question 4

How is energy lost in a food chain

Answer 4

• respiration
• waste in the form of faeces
• egestion and excretion

Lost energy goes into the atmosphere and gradually heats it up

Question 5

Pyramids of number

Answer 5

indicate number of organisms involved at each level

Usually starts with many tiny producers and ends with few large consumers at the top

Question 6

Pyramids of biomass

Answer 6

Indicate how much matters contained in each trophic level. Organisms are collected dried and weighed

Question 7

Food webs

Answer 7

In food chains we only consider one thing that an organism consumes. A food web is shoes organism fed on variety of things.

Question 8

Decomposers

Answer 8

They include fungi (mushroom) and bacteria.
They digest the dead material from food chains using enzymes
By removing dead material they make nutrients available to the food chains again.
Example- bacteria breaking plants into protein and animals into nitrates which roots absorb