Ecology

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What is an ecosystem?

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An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) interacting with their physical environment (soil, water, and climate).

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What is a producer in an ecosystem?

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A producer is an organism that can make its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, such as plants and algae.

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What is a consumer in an ecosystem?

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A consumer is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other organisms for energy, including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

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What is a decomposer?

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A decomposer is an organism that breaks down dead organic material, returning nutrients to the soil, such as fungi and bacteria.

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What is a trophic level?

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A trophic level is a position in a food chain or food web, representing the flow of energy and nutrients from producers to various levels of consumers.

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What is the energy pyramid?

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The energy pyramid is a graphical representation of the energy flow in an ecosystem, showing how energy decreases at each trophic level.

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How much energy is typically transferred from one trophic level to the next?

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Typically, only about 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, with the rest lost as heat.

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What is a food chain?

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A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

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What is a food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how different organisms are related through feeding relationships.

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What is biodiversity?

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Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, including the number of different species and genetic diversity.