Adaptations
What are the different types of adaptations?
Behavioral and Physical
What is an herbivore?
A consumer that eats only producers.
What are the 3 macromolecules we have learned about so far?
Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins
Where does ALL energy in an ecosystem come from, originally?
The sun! It must be converted by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
What type of molecules is an enzyme?
It's a protein
What is an adaptation?
A trait that helps an organisms survive and reproduce in an environment
What is a carnivore?
A consumer that eats only meat/ other animals.
What elements make up the 3 macromolecules we have learned about?
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Nitrogen only in proteins
What is a food chain?
A diagram showing a single pathway of energy in an ecosystem, starting with a producer.
What do enzymes do?
Break down and build molecules
Speed up chemical reactions in the body
Give an example of a physical adaption and why it would be an adaptation for that organism.
Can vary
example: carnivores have sharp canine teeth because it helps them tear apart meat, which they need to survive due to high protein levels in meat.
What is an omnivore?
What is the monomer, or building block, or carbohydrates?
Sugars, like glucose
What is a food web?
A diagram showing many energy pathways within an ecosystem.
What is the "lock and key" idea?
Enzymes are a specific shape that fits with the substrate, or molecule, that they break down, like a key must fit into a lock.
Give an example of a behavioral adaptation, and why it is an adaptation.
Can vary.
Lions hunt in packs so that they can take down bigger prey, which allows them to expend less energy for a meal, helping them survive and reproduce.
What is a producer?
An organism that can make its own food using sunlight through the process of photosynthesis.
What are the building blocks of proteins?
Amino Acids
Why is an energy pyramid shaped like a triangle? What does this represent?
It shows how energy decreases as you move up a food chain, and up trophic levels.
Why are enzymes important?
Enzymes are used to break and build molecules. Without them, we could not fully digest food to get the molecules we need, and we could not build the new molecules are bodies need.
Explain an adaptation of an a feeding niche's digestive system (herbivore, omnivore, carnivore).
Example:
Carnivores have larger stomachs in their digestive systems because it helps them break down proteins into amino acids.
What macromolecules does each feeding niche rely on most heavily?
Carnivores: proteins and lipids
Herbivores: Carbohydrates
Omnivore: both
Where does energy come from in macromolecules?
Breaking of the bonds between atoms.
Draw an energy pyramid and LABEL it with trophic levels, energy percentages, and how much energy is being lost (and to what!)
Diagrams should include:
- producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers
- lowest level needs to show 100% energy, with it decreasing by 90% as you go up each level
- 90% of energy is lost as heat at each level
How do consumers make protein? Start from the BEGINNING!
Organisms eat foods made of macromolecules. These macromolecules are broken down by enzymes, into the monomers- such as amino acids. These amino acids are then put together into new proteins, using enzymes.