Food Chains and Food Webs

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 from producers to various levels of consumers.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

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

Front

Define producer in an ecosystem.

Back

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

Front

What is a primary consumer?

Back

Primary consumers are herbivores that eat producers (plants) in a food chain.

Front

What is a secondary consumer?

Back

Secondary consumers are organisms that eat primary consumers; they can be carnivores or omnivores.

Front

What is a tertiary consumer?

Back

Tertiary consumers are predators that eat secondary consumers and are often at the top of the food chain.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and making them available for producers.

Front

What is the 10% rule in ecology?

Back

The 10% rule states that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next level in a food chain.

Front

How is energy lost in a food chain?

Back

Energy is primarily lost as heat through metabolic processes, respiration, and waste.

Front

What is an omnivore?

Back

An omnivore is an organism that eats both plants and animals.