Flashcard Set 2: Energy in Ecosystems
What is a food chain?
A food chain is a series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.
Define the term ‘producer.’
A producer is an organism, usually a plant, that can make its own food through photosynthesis.
What is a consumer?
A consumer is an organism that eats other organisms to obtain energy.
What is a primary consumer?
A primary consumer is an herbivore that eats producers (plants).
Define a predator and prey.
A predator is an animal that hunts other animals for food, while prey is the animal being hunted.
What is a food web?
A food web is a complex network of interlinked food chains within an ecosystem.
Explain what a pyramid of energy shows.
pyramid of energy shows the flow of energy at each trophic level in an ecosystem.
What causes energy loss between trophic levels in an ecosystem?
Energy is lost as heat, through waste, and during biological processes like movement and growth.
