Food Webs and Energy Pyramids

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What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow through different trophic levels.

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Front

What is an energy pyramid?

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An energy pyramid is a graphical representation that shows the distribution of energy among trophic levels in an ecosystem, illustrating how energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid.

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Front

Define producers in an ecosystem.

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Producers are organisms, typically plants and algae, that can make their own food through photosynthesis, serving as the base of the food web.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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Front

What is a consumer?

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Consumers are organisms that cannot produce their own food and rely on consuming other organisms for energy.

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What are the three main types of consumers?

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The three main types of consumers are herbivores (plant eaters), carnivores (meat eaters), and omnivores (organisms that eat both plants and animals).

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What percentage of energy is typically transferred from one trophic level to the next?

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Typically, only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an energy pyramid.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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What happens to energy as you move up the energy pyramid?

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As you move up the energy pyramid, the amount of available energy decreases.

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Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and making them available for producers.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

What is a trophic level?

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A trophic level is a position in a food chain or food web that indicates the organism's role in the flow of energy and nutrients.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Front

Identify an example of a carnivore.

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Examples of carnivores include lions, hawks, and sharks.