TCI-U1: Lesson 5: Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

Sharks are the highest-level consumers in the ocean, but because humans hunt them for food, their populations are decreasing by about 100 million sharks per year. You have to choose to make a model of a food chain or a food web to show how the loss of sharks might affect this coral reef. Which is the best choice and why?

• A food web is the best because it shows many foods that the shark eats.

• A food chain is the best because a food chain shows only one food that the shark eats.

• A food web is best because only food webs show how humans can change ecosystems.

• A food chain is best because it only shows consumers, while food webs, show producers and consumers.

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Producers, consumers, and decomposers use and recycle matter in an ecosystem. Carbon is solid matter that is recycled. Carbon dioxide and oxygen are gases that are recycled. How should the gray, purple and brown arrows be labeled to complete the model shown?

• A. gray: carbon dioxide; purple: oxygen; brown :carbon

• B. gray: oxygen; purple: carbon dioxide; brown : carbon

• C. gray: carbon dioxide; purple; carbon dioxide; brown: oxygen

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American may not live in the ocean or in a tropical rainforest, but they consume food from those ecosystem. Chocolate comes from cacao beans that grow in rainforests. Tuna salad comes from tuna that live in the ocean. How do Americans fit in to the food chains and food webs of these ecosystems?

• Humans are part of many food chains, but only one food web.

• Humans are only consumers in the ecosystems where they currently live.

• Humans are the highest-level consumers in many food webs because we eat food from around the world.

• Humans are both consumers and producers in many food webs, because we grow energy-plants.

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Lake Michigan is one of the Great Lakes. A team of scientists wanted to investigate how animals that were accidentally brought there now affect the Lake Michigan food web. To do so, they had to learn what each of these animals eats in its new home. After investigating the animals of Lake Michigan, the scientists were able to develop a food web, like the one shown.  What do the green arrows show on this food web?

• They point in the direction the energy goes from the consumers to the decomposers.

• They point in the direction the energy goes from the consumers to the producers.

• They point in the direction the energy goes from producers to consumers.

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_________ is the main source of energy in an ecosystem.

• Heat

• Sunlight

• Matter

• Consumers

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Which of the following BEST describes what the food chain models?

• The loss of energy through heat.

• The many connected feeding relationships

• The path of energy through the ecosystem.

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In this food chain the arrows represent what?

• What eats what.

• The cycle of matter.

• The animals are moving.

• The flow of energy.

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Producers get their energy from the ___.

• Sun

• Earth

• Moon

• Consumers

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Tertiary consumers get energy from_____

• a secondary consumer.

• producers.

• sun.

• the grocery store.

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If a rabbit population was removed from a food web, what would happen to the food web?

• There would be less snakes to eat them.

• The producers would grow more.

• There would be more snakes to eat them.

• All organisms would be affected.

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