Life on Earth - Niche, Energy Transfers

Question 1

What is niche and what does it relate to?

Answer 1

• Role an organism plays in a community
• the resources required by an organism in its ecosystem and its interactions with other organisms in the community

Question 2

• Describe interspecific competion
• Describe intraspecific competition

Answer 2

• Occurs amongst individuals of different species for a few resources they need
• Occurs amongst individuals of the same species for all the resources they need

resources in short supply? = competition occurs

Question 3

Fill in the blanks

In transfers from one level to the next in a ————, the majority of the —– is lost as ——, ———– or ————– ——–. Only —— is carried on to the next organism in the food chain

Answer 3

• food chain
• energy
• heat, movement or undigested materials
• 10%

Question 4

Describe how energy is lost as the following during transfers in a food chain:
* heat
* movement
* undigested materials

Answer 4

• Mammals release energy on purpose to keep their enzymes at their optimum temperature.
• When organisms move, chemical energy converts to kinetic and is lost to the organism.
• Digestion is not 100% efficient, meaning not all energy in food can be used in the first place.