What do we call all the living and nonliving things that interact in one area?
An ecosystem
Which type of organism makes its own food?
A producer
In a healthy ecosystem, how should predator and prey numbers relate?
The should be balanced
What type of organism does every food chain begin with?
A producer
What do we call organisms that break down dead organisms and wastes?
Decomposers
What do we call a single living thing, like one wolf or one spruce?
An organism
Which organisms eat plants or other animals instead of making food?
Consumers
On Isle Royale, what are wolves to moose?
Predators
A food web is made from many overlapping what?
Food chain
In a healthy ecosystem, how many different organisms are present?
One - A few - A lot
A lot
What do we call scientists who study ecosystems and share their findings?
An ecologist
Which gas do plants release during photosynthesis that animals need to breathe?
Oxygen
If predator numbers drop for a while, what commonly happens to prey numbers?
Prey numbers increase
Energy moves one way through a chain, but what does matter do?
Matter cycles
When prairies were plowed for farms, what kind of change happened (positive or negative) to the prairie ecosystem?
A negative human impact that disrupted the food web.
What is the name for the surroundings and conditions where an organism lives?
The environment or habitat
During photosynthesis, producers use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and which liquid to make sugar?
Water
In some years, many Isle Royale moose were weakened by ticks. Based on predator–prey relationships, what would likely happen to the wolf population soon after?
It would increase because weaker moose are easier to catch, giving wolves more food.
A cobra eats snakes, mice, rats, and lizards. In its web, what kind of organisms does it eat?
Consumers
Fungi belong to which ecosystem role?
Decomposers
What word describes materials like the minerals which organisms need to grow and stay healthy?
Nutrients
What is the original energy source for almost every food chain on Earth?
The Sun
Name two non-predation (not predators) factors that can change wolf–moose numbers over time.
Disease, parasites, weather, migration
If one species disappears from a chain, what happens to organisms that depend on it?
Their food/energy supply is lost and they struggle to survive.
Why do some animals hibernate in winter?
Food is scarce, so they conserve energy by hibernating.