Chapter 6 Flashcard

Front

What is 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 with a producer.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

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

Front

What is a producer?

Back

A producer is an organism, typically a plant, that can make its own food through photosynthesis and serves as the base of a food chain.

Front

What is a consumer?

Back

A consumer is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other organisms (plants or animals) to obtain energy.

Front

What is a decomposer?

Back

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

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What is natural selection?

Back

Natural selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring, often summarized as 'survival of the fittest'.

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What is a physiological adaptation?

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A physiological adaptation is a physical or chemical process within an organism that helps it survive in its environment, such as the use of poison.

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What is a behavioral adaptation?

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A behavioral adaptation is a change in behavior that helps an organism survive, such as migration or hibernation.

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What is a structural adaptation?

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A structural adaptation is a physical feature of an organism that enhances its survival, such as the sharp beak of a bird for eating specific food.

Front

What is the role of herbivores in a food chain?

Back

Herbivores are primary consumers that eat producers (plants) and serve as a food source for carnivores.