Producers and Consumers
These organisms make their own food using sunlight.
Producers/Autotrophs
Energy in most ecosystems originally comes from this source.
The Sun
A single pathway of energy flow in an ecosystem.
Food Chain
Fungi and bacteria are examples of these.
Decomposers
An animal that eats only plants is called this type of consumer.
Primary Consumer
Which Direction does energy flow through a Food Pyramid?
Upward
This type of diagram shows multiple energy pathways in an ecosystem.
Food Web
Decomposers return nutrients back to this part of the ecosystem.
Soil/Producers
An organism that eats both plants and animals.
Omnivore
This rule explains that only a certain amount of energy is passed to the next trophic level.
10% Rule
The arrows in a food chain always point in the direction of this.
Energy Flow (prey --> predator)
A forest floor has very little dead material because matter is constantly being broken down and reused. This shows that matter in ecosystems does this.
Recycle
This level of consumer eats primary consumers.
Secondary Consumer
This model shows how energy decreases at each trophic level.
Energy/Food Pyramid
If a producer is removed, this part of the food web is affected first.
Primary Consumers
Decomposers help producers by returning this to the environment.
Nutrients
These consumers are at the top of the food chain and have few or no predators.
Tertiary Consumer
Bonus: Quaternary Consumer
Most energy is lost as this when moving between trophic levels.
Heat
In a food web, grass provides 10,000 units of energy. About how much energy would be available to a hawk that eats a snake which ate a mouse that ate the grass
10 units of energy
This would happen to ecosystems if decomposers did not exist.
Build up of dead matter
Producers would die
Ecosystem would cease to exist