Ecosystems

Question 1

Ecosystem

Answer 1

The total living organisms and physical conditions in an area

Question 2

Community

Answer 2

Organisms within an ecosystem

Question 3

Habitat

Answer 3

Area within an ecosystem where organisms live

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

Total number of organisms of each species

Question 5

Producers

Answer 5

Organisms that make their own food by photosynthesis - all plants and algae

Question 6

Consumers

Answer 6

Organisms that cannot make their own food and have to eat other organisms to gain energy - all animals

Question 7

Decomposers

Answer 7

Special group of consumers which feed on dead or decaying material

Question 8

How is energy transferred between organisms?

Answer 8

Energy from the sun is transferred by light to the chlorophyll in the cells of a producer where carbon dioxide and water react to produce glucose, which stores energy in its chemical bonds. Glucose can then be converted into carbohydrates, fats, and proteins which are used as energy stores and growth and repair. As an organism grows it increases its biomass. Consumers then eat producers and when the organism respires the energy stored in its food is transferred in the production of ATP

Question 9

What do arrows in a food chain represent?

Answer 9

Transfer of biomass (and therefore energy transfer) from one organism to the next

Question 10

Trophic level

Answer 10

Each step in a food chain