CFA 4 Ecosystem Interactions SB5

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow through different trophic levels.

Front

Define primary consumer.

Back

A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers (plants) to obtain energy, typically herbivores.

Front

What is a secondary consumer?

Back

A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers, often carnivores or omnivores.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the soil and supporting plant growth.

Front

Explain the concept of trophic levels.

Back

Trophic levels represent the hierarchical positions of organisms in a food chain, categorized as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

Front

What is the significance of energy transfer in a food chain?

Back

Energy transfer in a food chain is significant because it illustrates how energy diminishes at each trophic level, with only about 10% of energy being passed on to the next level.

Front

Define producers in an ecosystem.

Back

Producers are organisms, primarily plants and phytoplankton, that create their own food through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food web.

Front

What is a tertiary consumer?

Back

A tertiary consumer is an organism that eats secondary consumers, often at the top of the food chain.

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 transferred to the next level, while the rest is lost as heat.

Front

Identify an example of an omnivore.

Back

An example of an omnivore is a bear, which eats both plants and animals.