Interactions and Interdependence: Feeding relationships, food chains and food webs Flashcards
Give some examples of herbivores
Locusts, giraffes, sparrows, elephants, etc…
Give some examples of carnivores
Leopards, eagles, hyenas, aardwolf etc..
Name the types of carnivores
Predators, scavengers, insectivores
Give some examples of decomposers
Bacteria, fungi, beetles, etc…
Fill in the missing words:
Decomposers break down _____ matter into simpler substances, which are released into the ____.
Dead, soil
True or false:
Decomposers vary in size
True
How do fungi feed?
They release chemicals called digestive enzymes onto the dead matter, which break down the leaves, branches and dead matter into simpler substances or nutrients.
Why are decomposers so important?
They recycle important nutrients back into the soil. They are also important to people because they are used to treat sewage.
True or false:
A large amount of the Sun’s energy is used by living things.
False.
Only a small amount of the Sun’s energy is used by living things.
What does a food chain show us?
The feeding relationship between living things, and the flow of energy from one organism to the next.
Which trophic level does a food chain always start with?
A producer
Which does a food chain end with?
A decomposer (They are not always shown on simple food chains)
What do the arrows in a food chain show us?
The direction of the flow of energy.
True or false:
A group of food chains together is called a food cycle.
False.
A group of food chains together is called a food web.
Name the 4 trophic levels.
- Producer
- Primary consumers
- Secondary consumers
- Tertiary consumers
True or false:
Only a small part of the energy that is stored in one trophic level is passed on to the next level.
True
Why is only a small part of the energy that is stored in one trophic level passed on to the next level?
Most of the energy is used by organisms for life processes. Some energy is also lost as heat.
Fill in the percentage:
About ___% of the energy that is available is transferred to the next trophic level.
10%
Fill in the missing word:
The _____ trophic level always contains the most energy.
Producer
Why does the size of each level become smaller?
Because energy is lost at each level.
What is energy measured in?
Kilojoules (kJ)
