Unit 2 Sec 2: Energy & Matter in Ecosystems

Front

What are the three main types of organisms in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Front

What is the role of producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers create energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

Front

What is the role of consumers in an ecosystem?

Back

Consumers eat producers or other consumers to obtain energy.

Front

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Front

What is parasitism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other.

Front

Give an example of mutualism.

Back

A clownfish and a sea anemone, where both species benefit.

Front

Give an example of commensalism.

Back

Barnacles attaching to a whale; the barnacles benefit while the whale is unaffected.

Front

Give an example of parasitism.

Back

A mosquito feeding on a buffalo.