Biotic vs Abiotic
What does biotic mean?
Living or once-living things in an ecosystem.
What is the role of a producer?
To make its own food through photosynthesis.
What does an arrow in a food chain represent?
The direction of energy flow.
Where does all energy in most ecosystems come from?
The Sun.
Name two main matter cycles.
Water cycle and carbon cycle (also nitrogen cycle).
Give two examples of abiotic factors
.Sunlight, temperature, soil, water, rocks, or air.
What are the three types of consumers?
Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
What is a food web?
A group of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.
What percentage of energy is passed from one trophic level to the next?
About 10%.
How is carbon returned to the atmosphere?
Through respiration, decomposition, and burning fuels.
Why are abiotic factors important to living things?
They provide conditions and materials needed for survival (e.g., water, light, oxygen).
Give an example of a decomposer and its job.
Fungi or bacteria — break down dead matter and recycle nutrients.
In this chain — grass → grasshopper → frog → snake → hawk — who is the tertiary consumer?
The snake.
Why do higher-level consumers need to eat more food?
Less energy is available at each level.
In the water cycle, what process turns liquid water into vapor?
Evaporation.
True or False: A dead log counts as biotic.
True — it was once living.
What would happen if decomposers disappeared?
Waste and dead matter would pile up; nutrients wouldn’t return to soil.
If one species in a food web disappears, what can happen?
It can disrupt the balance — other populations increase or decrease.
Which has more energy — producers or top predators?
Producers.
What organisms help return nitrogen to the soil?
Decomposers and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Name three abiotic factors that can limit where plants grow.
Light, temperature, and moisture levels (or soil nutrients).
Explain the difference between a primary and secondary consumer.
Primary eats producers; secondary eats other consumers.
How does energy flow through a food web?
From the sun → producers → consumers → decomposers.
What happens to the rest of the energy that’s not passed on?
It’s lost as heat or used for life processes (movement, growth, etc.).
How is matter different from energy in an ecosystem?
Matter is recycled; energy flows in one direction and is not reused.