I Am Smart
Give an example of an organism that is a producer.
Strawberry
Give an example of an organism that is a decomposer.
Fungi
What is the main difference between a producer and a consumer in a food web?
Producers make energy from the sun while consumers get energy by eating.
Give an example of an organism that is a consumer.
Wolf
Create a model for an ecosystem that includes a producer, consumer, and decomposer.
Producer: Plants
Consumer: Cricket
Decomposer: Bacteria
A graph shows a decrease in the number of fish in a pond, what might happen to the birds that eat those fish?
They may decrease due to less food.
If all the producers in an ecosystem were removed, what would most likely happen?
The consumers would run out of food and die.
A chart shows a steady drop in the wolf population in a forest. What change might occur in the deer population, which wolves usually hunt?
The deer population might increase.
If a species of insect suddenly becomes overabundant in a forest, how might that affect the energy flow?
More predators may move in to eat them.
In the model of a forest food chain, which organism is the energy source that begins the chain?
Sun
In the following food chain, what is the role of the cricket?
SUN-->GRASS-->CRICKET-->BIRD-->HAWK
Consumer
If a drought caused most of the plants in a grassland to die, what would likely happen to the herbivores in the area?
They would have less food and might decrease.
If the number of decomposers in an ecosystem dropped suddenly, what would likely happen over time?
Nutrients would stop being returned to the soil.
If rabbits become overabundant in a grassland ecosystem, how would that likely affect the producers (plants)?
Plants would be eaten faster and might decrease.
A printed article shows that bees are declining in number. What energy flow change could this cause in an ecosystem?
Plants that depend on bees for pollination may stop growing, affecting herbivores.
Pollution can affect a lake in an ecosystem. What could be an effect of this?
Fish floating near the surface, no longer moving.
A student is building a food web using the following organisms: Sun, algae, snail, fish, and bacteria. Draw the energy flow.
Sun-->algae-->snail-->fish-->bacteria
How is a producer different from a decomposer?
Producers make their own food and decomposers break down dead matter.
A group of students adds a new predator to a model of a meadow ecosystem. What is a possible effect on the existing food web?
Some prey animals might decrease in number.
In a desert model, if rainfall increases and more plants grow, what could be a likely effect on the ecosystem?
More herbivores will move in and population may increase.