Get With the Flow (Energy Flow)
What is the ultimate source of energy for most ecosystems?
The Sun
What is a food chain?
A group of organisms where each member is eaten by another
What is phytoplankton?
Tiny aquatic producers that use sunlight to make food
What type of teeth are used for cutting?
Incisors
What is bioaccumulation?
Pollutants building up in an organism’s cells over time
Why does energy decrease as it moves up a food chain?
Energy is used by organisms and lost as heat
Why are there usually more producers than consumers in an ecosystem?
Producers contain the most energy and support all higher levels
How are phytoplankton and zooplankton different?
Phytoplankton make their own food; zooplankton eat other organisms
Which feeding type has large canines and sharp premolars?
Carnivore
What is biomagnification?
Pollutants increasing at each level of a food chain
Explain what is meant by “there is no such thing as a free lunch in ecology.”
Energy is always used and lost; organisms cannot gain energy without cost
In the chain algae → insect larvae → fish, which organism has the least available energy and why?
Fish, because energy is lost at each trophic level
Why are phytoplankton critical to aquatic food webs?
They are producers and supply energy and oxygen
Why do herbivores usually have large molars?
To grind tough plant material
Why are top predators most affected by biomagnification?
They eat many contaminated organisms
Predict what would happen to consumers if producers disappeared from an ecosystem.
Consumers would decline because energy could no longer enter the food web
What would happen to a food chain if a middle consumer was removed?
Organisms above would decline and organisms below might increase
Predict what would happen if zooplankton populations crashed.
Phytoplankton might increase and higher consumers would decline
What does a sagittal crest tell you about how an animal eats?
It supports strong jaw muscles for powerful biting
Why might humans need to monitor how much fish they eat?
Fish can contain high levels of toxins like mercury
Why is energy not recycled in ecosystems, but nutrients are?
Energy is lost as heat, while nutrients are reused and cycled
Explain the difference between a food chain and a food web and why food webs are more realistic.
Food webs show many interconnected chains and better represent real ecosystems
Explain how energy flows through an aquatic food web starting with the Sun.
Sun → phytoplankton → zooplankton → fish → top predators
Explain how dentition and skull structure help scientists determine feeding level.
Tooth shape and skull features show what type of food the animal eats
Explain how biomagnification shows the connection between ecosystems and human health.
Pollutants move through food webs and can impact people who consume top predators