Energy flow through ecosystems (pgs. 208-212)

Question 1

trophic levels

Answer 1

position or level in a food chain that describes the feeding or energy relationships at that level

Question 2

autotrophs

Answer 2

organisms that make their own food

Question 3

heterotrophs

Answer 3

organisms that cannot make their own food and have to find other sources of energy

Question 4

primary consumers

Answer 4

animals that feed on plant material; herbivores

Question 5

secondary consumers

Answer 5

carnivores that eat herbivores

Question 6

tertiary consumers

Answer 6

carnivores that eat other carnivores

Question 7

examples of producers

Answer 7

plants and algae

Question 8

how do producers make their own food

Answer 8

use light energy from sun to produce their food from carbon dioxide and water

Question 9

another name for producers

Answer 9

autotrophs

Question 10

what does autotroph mean

Answer 10

‘self-feeder’

Question 11

another term for consumers

Answer 11

heterotrophs

Question 12

what does heterotroph mean

Answer 12

‘other feeder’

Question 13

example of primary consumer

Answer 13

zebra (herbivores)

Question 14

example of secondary consumer

Answer 14

lion

Question 15

example of tertiary consumer

Answer 15

kill whale eats seal (carnivore eating carnivore)

Question 16

what do decomposer do

Answer 16

break down the waste products and the bodies of dead organisms in a process called decomposition

Question 17

what do decomposers live off

Answer 17

dead remains and waste products of other organisms

Question 18

examples of main decomposers

Answer 18

bacteria and fungi, fly maggots (larvae), beetles

Question 19

what does decomposition do

Answer 19

releases energy that was stored in bodies of dead organisms

Question 20

another name for decomposers

Answer 20

saprotrophs because feed off dead organic matter

Question 21

food chain

Answer 21

way to show the direction of energy flow from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem. it shows a sequence of organisms in which each one east the one before it in the chain and is eaten by the one that comes after it

Question 22

example simple food chain

Answer 22

grass -> zebra -> lion

Question 23

what does a food chain start with

Answer 23

producer

Question 24

what does a food chain end with

Answer 24

consumer or decomposer

Question 25

what cant there be too many links in a food chain

Answer 25

animals at the end wont get enough food (energy) to stay alive

Question 26

primary energy source in a food chain

Answer 26

sun

Question 27

food web

Answer 27

number of interconnected food chains

Question 28

why are animals part of more than one food chain

Answer 28

animals do not only eat the same thing (same type of plant/other animal) organism will become short supplied

Question 29

ecological/food pyramid

Answer 29

diagram represent the different number of organisms or amount of energy or biomass on each trophic level

Question 30

why is energy lost in each link of the food chain

Answer 30

organisms use energy for body processes such as growth and reproduction and lose energy as heat

Question 31

3 types ecological pyramids

Answer 31

1. pyramid of energy
2. pyramid of numbers
3. pyramid of biomass

Question 32

pyramid of energy

Answer 32

shows the relative amount of energy available on each trophic level; wider bottom large amount energy, narrow top less energy available

Question 33

pyramid of numbers

Answer 33

used show the numbers of organisms on each trophic level; wide bottom more of organism, narrow top less of organism

Question 34

pyramid of biomass

Answer 34

shows total mass of living tissue at each level; shows bottom large mass needed feed smaller mas of consumers