Unit 2 Review Questions 24-25

Front

What is exponential growth in a population?

Back

Exponential growth occurs when a population increases by a fixed percentage over a period of time, leading to a rapid increase in size. This is often depicted in a J-shaped curve on a graph.

Front

What is a herbivore?

Back

A herbivore is a consumer that primarily eats plants. Examples include cows, deer, and rabbits.

Front

What happens to a population when there is an abundance of food?

Back

When there is more food than usual in an ecosystem, the population will most likely increase due to the availability of resources.

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can support sustainably without degrading the habitat.

Front

What type of consumer is a third-level consumer?

Back

A third-level consumer is typically a carnivore, which means it primarily eats other animals.

Front

Define a producer in an ecosystem.

Back

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

Front

What is a heterotroph?

Back

A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must consume other organisms for energy.

Front

Explain the difference between a carnivore and an herbivore.

Back

Carnivores are animals that eat other animals, while herbivores are animals that eat plants.

Front

What is the significance of a food chain?

Back

A food chain illustrates the flow of energy and nutrients from one organism to another in an ecosystem, showing who eats whom.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and helping to recycle matter in the ecosystem.