Food Webs & Feeding Roles
What is the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph?
Autotrophs make their own food; heterotrophs must eat others
What process allows producer to make their own food at the bottom of the ocean?
Chemosynthesis
What are the six most important elements in living things (CHNOPS)?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur
What biome has tall grasses and grazing animals?
Grassland
What is a keystone species?
Species that holds ecosystem together
What type of consumer eats both plants and animals?
Omnivore
About how much energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next?
10%
Which biogeochemical cycle does NOT include a path through the atmosphere?
Phosphorus Cycle
DAILY DOUBLE!!!!
What biome has cold winters, short summers, and conifer trees?
Taiga
What is a trophic cascade?
A chain reaction when one species is added or removed
How is a scavenger different from a decomposer?
Scavengers eat dead organisms; decomposers chemically break them down
Why is less energy available at higher trophic levels?
Energy is lost as heat, movement, and waste
Name two processes that move water from Earth’s surface into the atmosphere
Evaporation and transpiration
What two main factors determine a biome?
Temperature and precipitation
What happens to lower trophic levels if a top predator is removed?
They increase, causing imbalance
What trophic level do herbivores occupy?
Primary consumers
Which type of pyramid shows the amount of living material at each level?
Pyramid of biomass
What role do plants play in the carbon cycle?
They convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates
Describe the climate of a tropical rainforest and explain why it supports such high biodiversity.
Warm temperatures year-round, high rainfall; lots of sunlight and water support many plants, which support many animals
Which is NOT a detritivore: Earthworm, Mushroom, Crab, Slug
Mushrooms
DAILY DOUBLE!!!!!!
Explain how energy moves through this chain: Sun → Grass → Mouse → Snake
Sun gives energy to the grass (producer) has 100% energy--> 10% goes to grass -->1% goes to Mouse --> 0.1% goes to Snake
If producers have 10,000 kcal of energy, estimate how much energy is available to tertiary consumers
10kcal
Why is matter considered “recycled” in ecosystems?
Matter is neither created nor destroyed
Explain the climate of the Tundra
Sub 0 temperatuers
Little precipitation
Give one example of how humans impact nutrient cycles
Burning fossil fuels, pollution, deforestation, etc.