Abiotic Energy
What abiotic source does all energy start from?
The sun
What is an herbivore
An organism that only eats producers (plant life)
What would be the best level of ecosystem organization for 1 singular squirrel
Individual
What is on the bottom of a food pyramid/food chain?
Producers
What is the name for the conversion process where sun energy becomes chemical energy?
Photosynthesis
What is an decomposer
An organism that only eats dead things (ex. fungus)
What would be the best level of ecosystem organization for multiple squirrels
Population
The arrows in a food web means what?
The direction energy is traveling
What do we call organisms that perform photosynthesis
Producers
What is an omnivore
An organism that eats both plant and animal matter
What would be the best level of ecosystem organization for squirrels, rabbits, and deer in the same area
Community
Define the 10% Rule
The 10% rule states that roughy 10% of the energy from one trophic level will pass to the next
Ex. Only 10% of the zebra's stored energy will pass to the lion after it eats the zebra
What is the byproduct of photosynthesis that is essential for all living things on Earth
Oxygen
What might happen if suddenly there was triple the amount of wolves in a food web?
Top down pressure on lower trophic levels...less rabbits, now less grass, etc.
What would be the best level of ecosystem organization for rabbits, squirrels, deer, grass, dirt, rocks, trees, wind, etc. in the same area
Ecosystem
What are food pyramids best at showing in terms of energy
The amount of energy stored at each trophic level
What is the equation for photosynthesis?
CO2 + water --- (light energy)----> sugar + oxygen
If a species in the middle of a food web suddenly disappears, due to illness, what might happen to the other organisms in the food web?
Food web collapse?
Shift in animal abundance?
Using an ecosystem of: wolf, deer, rabbit, grass, dirt, rock
Go in descending order of organization level (ecosystem --> community --> ) showing how these abiotic vs. biotic things could be organized
...
Why are food webs generally better than food pyramids or food chains when depicting an ecosystem?
Because they show ALL the species interactions (includes that multiple animals may prey on another, not a linear relationship)