Ecosystems
What is an ecosystem?
A community of living organisms and their interactions with their environment.
What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?
The sun.
What is a food chain?
A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.
What is a food web?
A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
What is matter?
Anything that has mass and takes up space.
Name one type of ecosystem.
Forest, desert, ocean, grassland, etc.
How do plants get their energy?
Photosynthesis
What is a consumer?
An organism that eats other organisms for energy.
How is a food web different from a food chain?
A food web consists of many food chains and shows the multiple pathways through which energy and matter flow in an ecosystem.
Give an example of matter in ecosystems?
Plants, animals, dirt, trees, etc.
What type of ecosystem would a frog live in?
What is photosynthesis?
The process plants, algae, and some bacteria use to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into their own food (sugars) and oxygen
What is a carnivore
An organism that eats meat.
Why are food webs important?
They help to explain the way organisms(producers, consumers, etc.) connect to each other.
What is the role of decomposers in matter cycling?
To break down dead organic material, returning nutrients back to the environment.
What type of ecosystem would a cactus thrive in?
Desert
What is a producer?
An organism that creates its own food, forming the base of an ecosystem's food chain.
What is an herbivore?
What role would a bunny play in my food web?
a. decomposer
b. producer
c. consumer
consumer
What is the water cycle?
the continuous movement of water on, above, and below Earth's surface, driven by the sun's energy and gravity.
How do ecosystems change?
Through ecological succession
The process of communities replacing one another, and through disturbances that cause disruption
Name a non-solar energy source?
wind, tidal energy, fossil fuels, etc.
Give an example of a food chain
grass → grasshopper → mouse → snake → hawk
To break down dead organic matter, such as plants and animals.
How do plants and animals contribute to the carbon cycle?
Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and animals returning it through respiration.