Photosynthesis
What three things do plants need to make their own food?
Carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight
What is the first organism in any food chain?
A producer/plant
What happens to energy when animals eat food?
They use it to grow, move, and stay warm.
Name one decomposer.
Fungi, bacteria, certain insects like worms
What is a stable ecosystem?
What process do plants use to create energy (glucose) from sunlight?
Photosynthesis
What do herbivores eat?
Plants
What powers food chains?
The sun
What do decomposers do in an ecosystem?
Break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients
A new predator is introduced into an ecosystem. What might happen?
It could disrupt the food web by reducing other animal populations
True or False: Plants get most of their material for growth from the soil
False! Plants get most of their material to grow from carbon dioxide and water
What do carnivores eat?
Meat
Why are producers at the bottom of the food chain, while predators are at the top?
Producers are the primary source of energy while predators consume other organisms in the food chain for energy.
If no decomposers were in the ecosystem, what would happen to the soil?
It would lose nutrients and plants would struggle to grow
What is one way humans harm ecosystems?
Deforestation, pollution, or introducing invasive species
If a plant is placed in a dark room without light, what will happen?
The plant will die because it cannot perform photosynthesis
What happens if an invasive species that eats grass is introduced to an ecosystem?
The herbivores will have less food to eat, which will leave less food available for the rest of the animals, harming the ecosystem.
In an ecosystem, what happens to matter when plants and animals die?
Decomposers recycle it back into the soil
Decomposers release materials back into the
Soil and air
A forest loses many of its trees due to logging. How might this affect herbivores?
They will have less food and shelter, leading to a population decline
A scientist weighs the soil before and after a plant grows in it. What will they observe?
The soil mass will weigh the same. Plants get their mass from air and water, not the soil. Additionally, matter cannot be created or destroyed.
A student claims that "All energy in a food web comes from the Sun". Is this correct? Why or why not?
Yes! Plants use the Sun's energy to grow and animals get energy by eating plants or other animals.
What would happen is decomposers were removed from an ecosystem?
Nutrients wouldn't be recycled back into the soil, and dead plants/animals would pile up
Explain why fungi and bacteria are essential for the matter cycle.
They return nutrients to the soil so plants can grow again
Explain how energy, matter, and nutrients move through an ecosystem
Energy comes from the Sun which then flows through plants, herbivores, and carnivores. Matter cycles between air, plants, animals, and decomposers. Decomposers recycle nutrients back to plants.