Matter and Energy Flow in an Ecosystem

Front

What does a trophic level represent?

Back

A step in a food chain or food web.

Front

What defines an element?

Back

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom.

Front

What information does an energy pyramid provide?

Back

The amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web.

Front

What are producers?

Back

Organisms that make their own food.

Front

Who are decomposers?

Back

Organisms that break down dead remains and recycle nutrients back into the soil.

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Front

What role do consumers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Consumers are organisms that rely on other organisms for energy.

Front

What is photosynthesis?

Back

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

Front

What is the difference between a herbivore and a carnivore?

Back

Herbivores eat plants, while carnivores eat other animals.