Producers, Consumers & Decomposers
Food Web & Food Chains
Changes in Ecosystems
Vocabulary
100
What is a consumer? Give two examples
A consumer is an animal that gets energy from eating a producer (plant) or another animal.
Examples: Lion, bird, deer etc
100
What is a food chain?
*A food chain shows the path of food energy in an ecosystem from plants (producers) to animals (consumers).
100
What are two changes or affects that humans have on an ecosystem?
Cutting down trees.
Overfishing an environment
100
What is a producer? Give two examples of a producer.
A producer is a plant that makes its own food and gets its energy from the sun.
Examples: grass, trees, flowers, etc
200
A student in Mrs. Kennedy's class made a model of a kelp forest ecosystem to show the roles within the community. The student claims that the brittle star is a decomposer in the community. Give a piece of evidence that would support this claim.
The brittle star IS a decomposer because it breaks down dead animals and materials into nutrients for the soil.
The brittle star CANNOT be a producer because it does NOT make its own food using the Sun. It is NOT a consumer because it does NOT eat producers or consumers. It IS a decomposer though!
200
What is a food web?
A food web is made up of two or more food chains.
In a food web, at least one plant or animal from each food chain is part of another food chain.
200
What are two natural changes to an ecosystem?
Flood, fire, or drought.
200
What are the three type of consumers? Give an example of each type.
Primary Consumer - Beetle
Secondary Consumer - Frog
Tertiary Consumer - Snake
300
A picture of a desert ecosystem is shown. A student in Ms. Cauble's class says that ecosystems are only made up of consumers and everything in the picture is a consumer. Is the student correct or incorrect? Why?
The student is INCORRECT. Consumers CANNOT make their own food, so they need producers and consumers to eat.
Some consumers ONLY eat producers, so every ecosystem must have producers (plants).
300
Given the organisms and the Sun below, a student in Mr. Davis’ class was asked to create a model that best illustrates the flow of energy through a food chain. The student must place them in the order that the energy flows, using arrows to point to what receives the energy.
Sun→ grass→ grasshopper → frog→ snake→ owl
Remember that the Sun must come first in every food chain.
300
Look at the chart below. What conclusion can be drawn about how the ecosystem would be affected if the community of rabbits were over-abundant?
If the rabbits become over-abundant, then the plant that it eats will decrease or disappear.
The squirrel, grasshopper, and deer that eat that same plant will not have enough food to eat. They could become extinct.
300
What is a decomposer? Give two examples.
A decomposer is a living thing that breaks down the remains of dead organisms.
Examples - Fungi & brittle star
400
A fourth grade student in Mrs. Slodysko’s class made a model of the arctic ecosystem to show the roles within the community. The student claims that ONLY consumers are shown in the ecosystem model. Is the student correct or incorrect? Why?
The student is CORRECT.
There is a predator hunting its prey, so that shows a consumer.
There are NO plants shown in the model, so there are NO producers shown making their own food.
There are NO decomposers shown in the model breaking down dead material.
400
The diagram below shows a prairie food web. In this food web, where is the energy created?
All food chains and food webs begin with the Sun.
All energy is created by the Sun. The producers use this energy to make their own food.
400
A student made a model of a food web in Australia, Unfortunately, a widespread forest fire burned down most of the eucalyptus trees in the ecosystem.
How would this affect the community?
If the eucalyptus trees were destroyed, the koalas would lose their food source and begin to starve.
If the koalas were all gone, the dingos, who eat koalas, would lose one of their food sources.
400
What is a predator? What is a prey?
A predator is an animal (consumer) that hunts other animals for food.
A prey is an animal that is hunted for food by another animal.
500
Describe the role of the decomposer in the food chain model.
A decomposer always breaks down animals and material that are already dead. (They don’t kill animals.)
The decomposers give nutrients back to the soil which helps the producer become healthier & grow better.
500
The diagram illustrates a food web and the flow of energy from one organism to another. Which organisms, if any, provide energy for the plants?
NONE of the organisms in the food web provide energy to the plants. The Sun provides energy to the producers (plants). The Sun is not shown in the food web, and no animals can provide energy to plants. Even though animals can decompose and give nutrients to the plants, they do NOT provide energy.
500
The chart below shows the basic needs of a robin.
Name an environmental change that would be harmful to the survival of a robin.
If humans cut down the trees that the robins live in, the robins would lose their habitat.
If a fire destroyed the trees that the robins live in, the robins would lose their habitat.
500
What is photosynthesis?
The process plants go through by using energy from the Sun to make their own food.