Energy Flow
What is the main source of energy for almost all ecosystems?
What is the Sun?
What is a simple diagram that shows how energy moves from one organism to another?
What is a Food chain?
What is a trophic level?
A position an organism occupies in a food chain.
What does an ecological pyramid represent?
Amount of energy, biomass, or number of organisms at each trophic level.
How can pollution affect energy flow?
Disrupt the chain, kill producers or consumers
What process allows plants to convert sunlight into chemical energy?
What is Photosynthesis?
What is a more complex diagram that shows many food chains connected?
What is a Food Web?
What level are producers?
First trophic level
What shape is an energy pyramid, and why?
A triangle; energy decreases as it moves upward.
How does deforestation affect ecosystems?
Reduces producer population, limiting energy availability.
What form of energy transfer occurs when one organism eats another?
What is Chemical energy?
In a food chain, what do the arrows represent?
What level are top predators in?
Which pyramid shows the number of organisms at each level?
What is the Pyramid of numbers?
What happens when humans overfish or hunt too much?
Unbalances the food web.
Only about what percent of energy is passed from one trophic level to the next?
What is 10%
What level in a food web contains the greatest amount of energy?
What are producers?
Could you give an example of a tertiary consumer?
A hawk, lion, or shark
Which pyramid shows total living mass at each level?
What is the Pyramid of Biomass?
How does climate change impact ecosystems?
It changes species distributions and energy availability.
What happens to energy as it moves through a food chain?
Energy decreases at each trophic level due to heat loss and life processes.
If a top predator is removed, what might happen to the population of its prey?
The prey population increase
Why are there usually fewer top predators than producers?
Less energy is available at higher trophic levels.
Why is the energy pyramid a better representation of energy flow than a food chain or web?
Visually shows the decrease in energy.
Give one way humans can help maintain healthy energy flow.
Protect habitats, reduce pollution, and conserve energy.