Ecology and Energy Transfer Flashcard

Front

What is a consumer?

Back

An organism that eats other organisms.

Front

How are organisms connected by food webs?

Back

Organisms from different food webs interact and feed on each other.

Front

What is a producer?

Back

An autotroph that uses energy to make food.

Front

What happens when a predator on top of the food chain dies?

Back

Their body will be broken down by decomposers, continuing the transfer of energy.

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

The path of energy transfer from producers to consumers.

Front

What is an autotroph?

Back

An organism that produces its own food using sunlight or chemical energy.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

They break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil and continuing the energy cycle.

Front

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence of energy transfer, while a food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains.

Front

What is a scavenger?

Back

An organism that feeds on dead or decaying matter.

Front

What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

Back

The sun.