Sources of Energy
What is the main source of energy for most life on Earth?
The Sun
In a food chain, what do arrows represent?
transfer of energy
What type of consumer is a bird that eats both berries and insects?
Omnivore
What percentage of energy is typically available at the first trophic level (bottom level) of an energy pyramid?
100%
How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
cycles through and goes back to the sun
flow in one direction
flows forward and backward
flows in one direction
Approximately how much energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next?
10%
What is found at the bottom trophic level of an energy pyramid?
producers
What type of consumer is a lion that only eats meat?
Carnivore
What are organisms called that make their own food?
producers
A _____________ is a model showing interconnected food chains
food web
Which organisms are considered decomposers in an ecosystem?
Birds
Lions and tigers
Bacteria and mushrooms
mushrooms and bacteria
What type of consumer is a caterpillar that only eats leaves?
Herbivore
Which group of consumers eats only producers?
Herbivores
What happens to energy that isn't passed to the next trophic level?
it is released as thermal energy
According to the law of conservation of energy, what is true about energy?
energy cannot be created or destroyed
A _____________________ is a simple model that shows how energy moves from the Sun, to a producer, to one or more consumers through feeding relationships
food chain
What is the primary function of detritivores in an ecosystem?
to recycle nutrients by breaking down dead organisms
Which process do most producers use to make their food?
Photosynthesis
What percentage of energy is typically available at the third trophic level (top level) of an energy pyramid?
1%
The amount of available energy _____________ every time it is transferred from one organism to another
decreases