Energy Flow Flashcards
Food Chain
a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Producer
organism that can make food for itself and store some food for another organism
Autotroph
organisms that capture sunlight/energy to make its own food
Consumer
organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients
Heterotroph
organisms that require energy from other organisms
Decomposer
organism that chemically breaks down dead remains into detritus
(and recycles the nutrients back into the environment)
Detritivore
animals that commonly digest decomposers that live on, and in, detritus particles
(eats detritus particles)
Scavengers
animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals that have been killed by predators or have died of other causes
Herbivore
consumer that only eats plants
Carnivore
consumer that only eats other animals
Omnivore
animals whose diests include plants and animals
Food Web
a network of feeding interactions that depict the complex feeding relationships in ecosystems
Food Webs link together many ____ _____
food chains
Where is energy stored?
in body tissues
How does energy move between organisms?
from the “eaten” to the “eater”
Ecological Pyramids
pyramids that show the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain
Types of ecological pyramids
pyramids of energy, pyramids of biomass, and pyramids of numbers
Energy Pyramid
pyramids that show the relative amount of energy contained within each trophic level in a given food chain
Trophic Levels
steps in a food chain or food web
The 10% Rule
10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level
Photosynthesis
process that plants do by using resources from the environment to create food
Balanced Chemical Equation For Photosynthesis
6H2O + 6CO2 –(light)-> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Where/what do plants store polysaccharides as?
in the tissues/as starch
Types of Human Interference Disturbance Impacts
pollution and overharvesting
Pollution results in…
bioaccumulation/biomagnification
Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification
when a pollutant is picked up by an organism and is not broken down or eliminated, and it is collected in the body tissues instead
as producers are eaten and the organisms of trophic levels becomes higher, the more concentrated the pollutant becomes
Disturbance Impacts
phenomenons that occur and change the natural way of a food web
Overharvesting
when humans overdo something and kill of a majority of a species
Disease (in terms of Disturbance Impacts)
naturally occurring sickness that wipes out a majority of a species’ population
Introduced Species (in terms of Disturbance Impacts)
a new species being added that increases competition with the already present species
Climate change (in terms of Disturbance Impacts)
changes in the climate that can severely alter the landscape
causes loss of habitat
Invasive Species
species that are foreign to the environment that dominate the area and becomes harmful to environment
(as a result of introduced species that don’t have a predator in the area)
Ecosystems that have greater biodiversity are said to be more resilient. Why?
more biodiversity increases the amount of organisms that can be preyed on
If a majority of one species is wiped out, there will still be more food sources that keep the food web stable
