Unit 1 Lesson 3 Flashcards
All organisms need _____ to perform their functions throughout their lives
energy
_____ are a complex organization of interdependent parts
ecosystems
A _____ is a pathway that energy and nutrients can follow through an ecosystem
food chain
_____ make up the first level of a food chain
Producers
Insects and other plant eaters get energy by eating _____
producers
_____ complete the food chain
Decomposers
Decomposers break down _____ and _____, where they can be used by producers
nonliving plant and animal matter; return nutrients to the soil
The interconnected food chains are called _____
food webs
a representation of the energy available at each level of a food web.
Energy Pyramid
When an organism obtains energy, most of the energy is used for _____
life processes
The _____ level—the _____ —has the most energy
bottom; producers
Consumers at the highest level have the _____ amount of available energy
least
As one organism eats another organism in a food web, both _____ are transferred to the body of the consumer
energy and matter
Wherever water moves, _____ is at work
energy
_____, ______, and _____ are processes that cycle carbon
Photosynthesis; cellular respiration; the digestion of food
All energy food sources are made of _____ that are needed for growth and life
carbon-based molecules
Decomposition returns _____ stored in the remains of organisms to the environment
carbon
_____ speeds up the transfer of carbon from the earth to the air
Burning fossil fuels
_____ slows down the transfer of carbon from the air to living things
Cutting down forests
Cells use _____ to build many life molecules
nitrogen
Nitrogen enters most food webs when _____ or _____ take up these forms of nitrogen
plants; algae
Decomposers return _____ to the soil and water, where bacteria can change it back to a gas form, returning it to the air
nitrogen
