Food Webs
What is a food web?
A food web is a model that shows how plants and animals are connected by what they eat.
What is an energy pyramid?
An energy pyramid is a diagram that shows how energy decreases as it moves up each level of a food chain.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is all the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with each other.
How does energy transfer occur?
Energy transfer happens when one organism eats another.
Decomposers
Organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down the remains of dead plants and animals without need for internal digestion
How do food webs show energy transfer?
Food webs show how energy moves from plants to animals and then to other animals.
What is the difference between producers and consumers?
Producers make their own food using sunlight, while consumers eat other living things for energy.
How do plants make their energy?
Plants capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis.
What is the first trophic level in a food web?
Producers are the first trophic level.
Consumer
An organism that must consume other organisms for nutrients
Name three producers in an ecosystem.
Grass, algae, and trees.
What % of energy is typically transferred to the next level?
About 10% of the energy moves up to the next level.
Name two types of consumers.
Herbivores (plant eaters) and carnivores (meat eaters).
Describe the role of herbivores.
Herbivores eat plants and pass energy to other animals.
Producer
An organism that transforms energy from the Sun and uses carbon dioxide and water to make food
What role do decomposers play?
Decomposers break down dead plants and animals and recycle nutrients back into the soil.
What happens to energy at each trophic level?
Some energy is used for life processes, and much of it is lost as heat.
What is the significance of biodiversity in ecosystems?
Biodiversity helps ecosystems stay balanced and makes them stronger against changes.
Why is energy lost at each trophic level?
Energy is lost as heat and through life activities like moving or growing.
Energy Transfer
Movement of energy from one system to another
How does energy flow in a food web?
Energy flows from the sun to producers, then to consumers, and finally to decomposers.
Why are there usually fewer top predators?
Because there is less energy available at the top, fewer top predators can survive.
How do human activities impact ecosystems?
Human activities like pollution, deforestation, and overfishing can harm ecosystems.
Why does the amount of energy decrease as you go up a food chain?
Because organisms use energy for life processes (like moving, growing, and staying warm), and a lot of energy is lost as heat at each level.
Nutrients
Substances that provide nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life