Energy Transfers in and Between Organisms: Energy and Ecosystems - Ecosystem Basics Flashcards
1
Q
What is an ecosystem?
A
- An ecosystem includes all organisms living in a particular area and all the abiotic conditions
- All ecosystems have producers
2
Q
What is a producer?
A
- Organisms that produce their own food
3
Q
How do plants produce their own food?
A
- In any ecosystem, plants synthesise organic compounds from
atmospheric, or aquatic, carbon dioxide - Starts with photosynthesis
4
Q
How are sugars synthesised by plants used?
A
- Most sugars used as respiratory substrates, to release energy for growth
- Rest are used to make other biological molecules e.g cellulose
5
Q
What is the term used to describe the biological molecules in a plant?
A
- Biomass
6
Q
Define the term biomass
A
- The mass of living material
7
Q
How is energy transferred around an ecosystem?
A
- Living organisms in the ecosystem eat other organisms
8
Q
What is a food chain?
A
- Describes the feeding relationships between organisms and shows the stages of biomass transfer
- producer → primary consumer → secondary consumer → tertiary consumer
9
Q
What is a consumer?
A
- Organisms that feed off of other organisms
- They don’t produce their own food by photosynthesis
- Consumers can be primary, secondary, tertiary etc.
