Vocabulary
An organism that cannot make its on sugar--must eat to gain energy
Heterotroph or Consumer
Primary Energy Source
The Sun
Another name for a producer
Autotroph
T/F: If you remove an organism from a food web, it will affect other organisms in the ecosystem.
True
An organism that breaks down matter and returns nutrients to the soil
Decomposer or Detritivore
Producers
Amy is mowing her lawn and notices a patch of mushrooms growing in her yard. She knows that mushrooms are decomposers so what can she infer they are doing there?
Consumers the waste of a once living thing--breaking down matter so plants can use it.
In the food chain Sun → Grass → Grasshopper → Bird which animal would be most directly affected if a forest fire burned all the grass away.
Grasshopper
Matthew and Jose are on a forest field trip. They observe the forest floor and notice that it is covered with dead plants. “Those plants don’t do anything good for the forest,” said Matthew. What could you tell Matthew about those dead plants?b?
Decomposers will eat the dead plants and keep the flow of energy moving.
The living things in an ecosystem
Biotic Factors
Why are their fewer consumers as you move up the energy pyramid?
There is not enough energy to support many of them
Phytoplankton lives in the ocean and gets its energy from the sun. What would it be classified as?
Producer
In the food chain Grass → Zebra → Lion what would happen to the lion if the zebra population decreased?
The lion population would decrease
All the living and nonliving things in an area
Ecosystem
T/F: The energy flow in this food chain correct
Grass<--Aphid<--Spider<--Thrush
False
Which would be an example of a primary consumer?
Plant-->Caterpillar-->Bird-->Thrush
Caterpillar
In the food chain Grass → Mouse → Snake → Owl what would happen to the mice population if the snake population decrease?
The mice population would increase
In a swamp, rabbits eat marsh grass. Bobcats eat rabbits. Identity the predator and prey and this scenario.
Predator: Bobcat Prey: Rabbit
The total amount of organisms that an ecosystem can support--if you can add or remove some but it will always go back to this level
Carrying Capacity
________ energy is transferred to chemical energy during the process of photosynthesis
Light (Radiant)
Liliana takes a nature walk. On her walk she notices ladybugs, earthworms, maples trees, rabbits, wasps, centipedes, grass, opossums, flies, slugs, blueberry bushes, raccoons, and caterpillars. Correctly identify the producers that she sees.
Maples Trees, Grass, Blueberry bushes
In the food chain Tree → Deer →Mountain Lion what would be the result if the tree population decreased due to a forest fire?
The deer and mountain lion populations would decrease
List an abiotic factor in a desert ecosystem
Sand, wind, rocks, etc.