Food Webs and Chains

Question 1

Define autotroph.

Answer 1

An organism that can produce its own energy

Question 2

Define heterotroph.

Answer 2

An organism that consumes other plants and animals for energy and nutrients

Question 3

Define predation.

Answer 3

An interaction between species where one, the predator, kills and consumers the other, being the prey

Question 4

Define detritivore.

Answer 4

An organism that consumes dead organic material

Question 5

Define decomposer.

Answer 5

An organism breaks down or decomposes dead organic material

Question 6

Explain how is energy passed from one trophic level to the next.

Answer 6

Energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next through consumption

Question 7

Explain how the transfer of energy is related to the amount of species in each trophic level.

Answer 7

There are less and less individuals in the trophic levels as they go up, as there is less energy available due to energy loss

Question 8

What is the ultimate source of energy in an ecosystem?

Answer 8

The ultimate source of energy is the sun

Question 9

Explain what would happen to an ecosystem if a species in a food web suddenly died. For example, if the frog species suddenly died.

Answer 9

If all of the frogs in the ecosystem suddenly died, there would be an influx in the species the frog eats, making the ecosystem unbalanced. It would also negatively impact the species that eat the frogs, as there is less of a food source for them.