Ecology ES

Front

What is a trophic level?

Back

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. It is categorized into producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

Front

What is the role of a secondary consumer in an ecosystem?

Back

A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers (herbivores) and is typically a carnivore or omnivore.

Front

How do heterotrophs differ from autotrophs?

Back

Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume organic matter or other organisms for energy, while autotrophs can produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Front

What is primary succession?

Back

Primary succession is the ecological process that occurs when a biological community begins to develop on a surface where no soil exists, such as bare rock, often starting with pioneer species.

Front

What is secondary succession?

Back

Secondary succession is the ecological process that occurs in an area where a disturbance has destroyed a community but left the soil intact, allowing for a quicker recovery of the ecosystem.

Front

Define a food chain.

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem, starting from producers to various levels of consumers.

Front

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

Back

A food chain is a simple linear representation of energy flow, while a food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains that illustrates the feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Front

What are producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers are organisms, typically plants and algae, that can produce their own food through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

Front

What is an ecosystem?

Back

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment, including both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.

Front

What is a biome?

Back

A biome is a large geographic biotic unit, a major community of plants and animals with similar life forms and environmental conditions, such as forests, deserts, and grasslands.