Relationships
What role do herbivores play in a food web?
They are primary consumers.
What is the role of decomposers in the nutrient cycle?
They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients.
What is an ecosystem?
A community of organisms interacting with their environment.
In a food chain, what is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?
The sun.
Why are decomposers essential to the nutrient cycle?
They release nutrients back into the soil.
Which organism would be a secondary consumer in a food chain?
A wolf
What role do producers play in an ecosystem?
They produce their own food through photosynthesis.
What is a trophic level?
A level of energy in a food chain.
Which level of the food chain has the most energy available?
Producers.
What happens to the energy that is not transferred from one trophic level to the next?
It is lost as heat.
What role do herbivores play in a food web?
They are primary consumers.
What is a food web?
A network of interconnected food chains.
What happens to the energy that is not transferred from one trophic level to the next?
It is lost as heat.
What role do herbivores play in a food web?
They are primary consumers.
What might happen to an ecosystem if a key species goes extinct?
What is the purpose of an energy pyramid?
To show the amount of energy at each trophic level.
What is a decomposer?
An organism that breaks down dead organisms.
Which of the following shows the correct order of energy flow in a food chain?
Sun → Plant → Herbivore → Carnivore.
What is the role of decomposers in the nutrient cycle?
They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients.
If an area experiences a sudden increase in invasive species, what might be the effect on native species?
Native species may be displaced or reduced.
How do consumers get their energy?
By consuming other organisms.
What is the purpose of an energy pyramid?
To show the amount of energy at each trophic level.
In which part of the energy pyramid is the least amount of energy found?
Tertiary consumers.
What might happen to an ecosystem if a key species goes extinct?
Other species that depended on the keystone species for survival may also become endangered or extinct1.