Matter in Ecosystems
What is Matter?
Matter is anything that you can touch or see, even something you can't see, it takes up space
What is a food chain?
It is a simple path showing what eats another
What basic needs do they have?
Plants require sunlight, air, and water
Describe the role of the sun in an ecosystem.
The sun provides energy for plants to grow. Plants capture this energy and pass it on to consumers when they are eaten
What is a Producer?
A Producer is a living thing that makes its own food. Unlike animals (who have to eat), producers do not need to hunt or gather food
What is a type of matter? Give one example.
Water, Air, Soil...
What is a food web?
It is a diagram with a chain of plants and animals that eat each other
Can a plant grow without soil? Yes or no?
Answer is yes
What is a type of energy in an ecosystem?
Energy in an ecosystem is mainly solar energy, which plants convert to chemical energy for other organisms
What is herbivores?
Animals that eat plants
What are nutrients?
When plants and animals die, decomposers return this to the soil
What is a primary consumer?
Grass-->Rabbit--->Fox
Rabbit is the primary consumer
How can a plant grow without soil?
Plants can grow without soil through methods like hydroponics, where they receive nutrients directly from water solutions
Why is enegy imortant in an ecosysystem?
Energy is the "fuel" that makes life happen
What is Carnivores?
Consumers that only eats meat
What is an Ecosystem?
Living and nonliving things interacting in one place
True or False Energy in a food chain flows in both drections?
False
How do plants adapt their root systems in different environments to optimize water and nutrient uptake without soil?
Plants adapt their root systems by growing deeper roots in dry environments to reach water or spreading roots wide in nutrient-poor soil to maximize absorption
What is the sun?
Energy in most ecosystems come from the sun
What is consumer?
An organism that cannot make its own foodand must eat plants or animals
How does matter affect an ecosystem? What will happen without it?
Without matter, there is no ecosystem. If the soil is poor, trees can't grow. If there’s no water, animals can't survive. The "stuff" available dictates what can live there
What will happen to the hawk population if the population of the mice decrease?
The hawks will run what of food and their population will go lower too
How do interactions between plants, microorganisms, and soil chemistry influence nutrient cycling and plant growth in different ecosystems?
Interactions between plants, microorganisms, and soil chemistry affect nutrient cycling by breaking down organic matter, fixing nitrogen, and releasing minerals, which supports plant growth differently across ecosystems
How can energy decrease at each level of a food chain?
Organisms use energy for life process and some is lost as heat
What is decomposers?
Organisms like fungi and bateria that break down dead matter