PRODUCERS
What is an example of a producer?
Any green plant - answers will vary
What is an example of a consumer?
Answers vary
What is an example of a decomposer?
Answers vary
Changing nitrogen compounds to nitrogen gas.
Denitrification.
In the open ocean, tiny organisms called _________perform photosynthesis.
What are phytoplankton.
How does a producer obtain its energy?
From the sun; through photosynthesis
How does a consumer obtain energy?
By eating producers or other consumers
How does a decomposer obtain its energy?
Breaking down dead plant and animal matter
What is the importance of the main nutrient cycles?
The nutrient cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are necessary nutrients organisms need to sustain life. Organisms are able to get these nutrients through the biogeochemical cycles.
Which of the following BEST describes how energy flows in an ecosystem?
a. energy flows through all the trophic levels and then back to the producers.
b. most of the energy from the plants is transferred to the 1st level consumer and stops there.
c. the top level consumer (secondary or tertiary consumer) have the MOST energy.
d. about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is passed to the next trophic level
D. about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is passed to the next trophic level.
Explain the process of photosynthesis
The process where a plant converts energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll into glucose (sugar)
There are 3 types of consumers, what are they?
Herbivore, omnivore, carnivore
or
primary, secondary, or tertiary
What decomposer can grow on bread?
Mold
What are the four things we need energy for?
1. Growth
2. Body repair
3. Body warmth
4. Movement
(no particular order)
Which model or models represents a possible food chain?
a. primary producer->consumer->consumer
b. primary producer-> consumer->primary producer-> consumer
c. consumer->consumer->consumer->primary producer
d. primary producer-> consumer-> consumer->consumer
a and d
Why are producers important for other living things?
The food chain starts here; answers vary
How does a primary consumer obtain its energy?
By eating producers
Is a decomposer always after the tertiary consumer? Why or why not?
It can be after any part of the food chain - as long as the organism is dead and/or decaying, then the decomposer will be next in the chain
Explain what would happen if the population of mice drastically decreased? Explain.
Sun --> Grass --> Grasshopper --> Mouse --> Owl
The population of grasshoppers would increase because there are less mice to eat them. The population of owls would decrease because there are less mice to eat. The grass would become sparse in areas due to the growing amounts of grasshoppers.
Example: people burn fossil fuels from prehistoric plants and animals. The carbon within these creatures returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas. The plants take up carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Primary consumers then eat this carbon within the plant when they consume the plant's glucose.
Which plant is both a producer and a consumer?
A venus fly trap
Can a second level consumer be an herbivore? Why or why not?
A secondary consumer cannot be an herbivore because it is third in line in the food chain. The primary consumer is the herbivore. The secondary consumer eats the primary consumer, which is another animal.
How does a decomposer help producers?
They return nutrients back into the soil
Explain how the energy is passed on with the items and organisms below:
Deer Worm Grass Wolf Sun
- The sun passes energy to the grass
- Grass passes energy to the deer
- Deer passes energy to the wolf
- Wolf dies over time and passes energy to the mushroom
BONUS - mushroom passes nutrients back into the grass
Describe why farmers would benefit from crop rotation of soy beans and corn.
The soy beans have bacteria in their roots that can fix nitrogen into a usable form so that plants can use the nitrogen.