Define
Define a producer in a marine ecosystem
What is an organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis.
Explain why only 10% of energy transfers upward
What is most energy is lost as heat through respiration and movement.
Describe a simple marine food chain
What is Phytoplankton → Zooplankton → Small fish → Tuna → Shark.
Interpret a biomass pyramid showing decreasing mass at higher levels
What is biomass decreases because less energy is available at each level.
How does overfishing tuna affect the food web?
What is small fish increase; zooplankton decrease.
Define a consumer
What is an organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms.
Explain how predators help maintain food web stability
What is they control prey populations and prevent overgrazing.
Describe the shape of an energy pyramid
What is wide at the base, narrow at the top due to energy loss.
If producers have 10,000 J of energy, how much reaches tertiary consumers?
What is 10 J (10% transfer each level)
How does pollution affect energy transfer?
What is toxins reduce survival and disrupt trophic levels.
Define trophic level
What is a feeding position in a food chain or food web.
Explain how overfishing affects food webs
What is it removes key species, causing trophic cascades.
Describe the role of zooplankton
What is they feed on phytoplankton and transfer energy to higher levels.
A graph shows declining zooplankton. What happens to small fish?
What is their population decreases due to reduced food supply.
How does warming water affect phytoplankton?
What is reduces growth, lowering energy at all levels.
Define biomass
What is the total mass of living organisms in a given area.
Explain how invasive species disrupt food webs
What is they outcompete native species and alter energy flow.
Describe a trophic cascade
What is a chain reaction caused by changes in one trophic level.
Predict the effect of removing sharks.
What is mid‑level predators increase, prey populations decrease.
How does coral reef loss affect food webs?
What is species lose habitat, reducing biodiversity.
Define bioaccumulation
What is the buildup of toxins in organisms as they move up trophic levels.
Explain how toxins move through a food web
What is toxins accumulate in organisms and magnify at higher trophic levels.
Describe how apex predators influence ecosystems
What is they regulate populations and maintain balance.
A food web shows 5% transfer efficiency. What does this mean?
What is only 5% of energy moves to the next level.
How does acidification affect shell‑forming organisms?
What is they struggle to build shells, reducing primary consumers.