Energy & Food Webs
What is the bottom level of the energy pyramid?
Producers (plants and other photosynthetic organisms).
What is the term for a group of organisms of the same species living in a specific area?
Answer: Population.
In which type of biological interaction do both species benefit?
Answer: Mutualism.
What is the geosphere/lithosphere?
Answer: The geosphere refers to the ground-based portion of Earth, including rocks, soil, and the earth's crust.
What is Batesian mimicry?
Answer: Batesian mimicry is when a non-toxic species mimics a toxic species to avoid being eaten by predators.
How much energy is typically transferred from one level of the energy pyramid to the next?
About 10% of the energy is transferred.
What is the role of a species' niche in its environment?
Answer: A niche is the unique role a species plays in its environment, including its behavior, diet, and habitat.
What type of relationship is it when one species benefits and the other is unaffected?
Answer: Commensalism.
Which sphere contains all of Earth's water?
Answer: The hydrosphere
What is the difference between Batesian and Mullerian mimicry?
Answer: In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species mimics a harmful one, while in Mullerian mimicry, both species are harmful or toxic and look similar.
What is the main reason energy is lost between trophic levels?
Answer: Most energy is lost as heat.
Which type of organism breaks down organic matter to return nutrients to the ecosystem?
Answer: Decomposers.
What is parasitism?
Answer: Parasitism is when one species benefits at the expense of the other, which is harmed.
What is an example of an interaction between the atmosphere and the hydrosphere?
Answer: Rain (from the atmosphere) falling and carrying soil (from the geosphere) into a pond.
Why do animals use mimicry as a survival strategy?
Answer: Mimicry helps animals avoid predators by either looking dangerous or resembling a harmful species.
What level of the energy pyramid would a hawk that eats a snake be placed?
Answer: Tertiary Consumer.
What type of species eats both plants and meat?
Answer: Omnivores.
What is the term for a relationship where neither species affects the other?
Answer: Neutralism.
Which sphere contains all the living organisms on Earth?
Answer: The biosphere.
Which type of mimicry involves two species that are both toxic and resemble each other?
Answer: Mullerian mimicry.
What is the role of primary consumers in an energy pyramid?
Answer: They eat producers and are herbivores or omnivores.
How does the role of a generalist species differ from a specialist species?
Answer: A generalist species can thrive in a variety of environments and consume a broad range of food, while a specialist species has a narrow niche and requires specific conditions to survive.
In which type of interaction do two species both benefit and appear similar, typically to avoid predators?
Answer: Mullerian Mimicry.
What sphere interaction is demonstrated when volcanic ash enters the atmosphere and affects weather patterns?
Answer: Interaction between the geosphere and atmosphere.
What is an example of an organism that uses Batesian mimicry?
Answer: The viceroy butterfly mimics the toxic monarch butterfly to deter predators.