Food chains and Webs

Question 1

What are the four parts that make up an ecosystem

Answer 1

Producers = plants. Use Sun’s energy to make food.
Consumers = consume producers and other consumers.
Decomposer = decomposes dead producers and consumers.
Physical environment = abiotic features, e.g., water, soil, sunlight, air, etc.

Question 2

What are each stage of a food chain called?

Answer 2

Trphoic levels

Question 3

What are the differences between a food web and a food chain?

Answer 3

A food chain shows a more direct energy flow however a food web is a more complex display of ergy movement between the four facotrs of an ecosystem.

Question 4

What are producers?

Answer 4

Producers – all plants that get their energy needs from the sun through the process of photosynthesis

Question 5

What are primary consumers?

Answer 5

Primary Consumers – plant eating animals also known as herbivores

Question 6

What are secondary consumers?

Answer 6

Secondary Consumers – animals that eat primary consumers

Question 7

What are tertiary consumers?

Answer 7

Tertiary Consumers - typically the apex predator of a food chain, they eat the secondary consumers

Question 8

What are decomposers?

Answer 8

Decomposers – animals that eat dead plants and animals

Question 9

Discuss biosphere 2?

Answer 9

That the earth’s environment is extremely unpredictable because of our lack of knowledge which biosphere two attempted to solve but was relatively unsuccessful.
However biosphere 2 is now being used as a large scale experiment for different scientists due to the higher control of variables than other smaller scale prototypes.
e.g
It has demonstrates the carbon dioxide effects on ocean acidification