Ecosystem Roles
This organism makes its own food using sunlight.
What is a producer?
A tick feeding on a dog is an example of this.
What is parasitism?
Energy in an ecosystem originally comes from this source.
What is the Sun?
Which is an abiotic factor: predator or climate?
What is climate?
The most important factor in determining a biome.
What is climate?
Breaks down dead organisms and returns nutrients to the ecosystem.
What is a decomposer?
Bees pollinating flowers is what type of relationship?
What is mutualism?
In a food chain, arrows show this.
What is direction of energy flow?
If predators disappear, what happens to prey population?
It increases
Which biome has low precipitation and extreme temperatures?
What is a desert?
Which organism uses a nonliving energy source: wheat, fox, or monkey?
What is wheat?
A cattle egret benefits while a buffalo is unaffected.
What is commensalism?
Who provides energy to predators?
What are prey?
What happens when available resources decrease?
Population decreases
Why do rainforests have many consumers?
Because there are many plants and food sources
Why are mushrooms important in an ecosystem?
They decompose matter and recycle nutrients
Why is predator-prey NOT a symbiotic relationship?
One organism kills and eats the other
Where is the least energy found in an energy pyramid?
At the top (tertiary consumers)
Why is cycling of matter important for ecosystem stability?
It reuses nutrients between living and nonliving parts
How does deforestation affect biodiversity?
It decreases habitats and diversity
What would happen if decomposers were removed from a food web?
Waste would build up and nutrients would not return to the soil
Explain how mutualism helps ecosystems stay stable.
Both species benefit and support survival/reproduction
Why do energy pyramids decrease as you go up?
Energy is lost as heat at each level
How does human population growth affect animals like panthers?
It reduces habitat and decreases population
Why is soil fertile in temperate forests?
Decaying leaves add nutrients to soil