Energy flow in ecosystem

What are autotrophs?

• Organisms that produce their own food

• Organisms that cannot make their own food

• Organisms that eat other organisms

• Organisms that break down dead material

What is the process by which some organisms use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make complex organic compounds?

• Photosynthesis

• Metabolism

• Decomposition

• Chemosynthesis

What are heterotrophs?

• Organisms that produce their own food

• Organisms that cannot make their own food

• Organisms that eat other organisms

• Organisms that break down dead material

What is the role of detritivores and decomposers in an ecosystem?

• They consume other organisms for food

• They store nutrients as part of their tissues

• They produce their own food using sunlight

• They break down dead and decaying material, returning nutrients to the environment

What is a food chain?

• A model that describes the flow of nutrients in an ecosystem

• A model that shows the feeding relationships and flow of energy in an ecosystem

• A complex model of energy transfer in an ecosystem

• A representation of the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem

How is a food web different from a food chain?

• A food web has one-way arrows that show the direction of energy flow

• A food web always starts with a producer followed by one or more consumers

• A food web is a more realistic model of feeding relationships in an ecosystem

• A food web is a simple model that shows the feeding relationships and flow of energy in an ecosystem

What are trophic levels?

• The number of organisms present at each trophic level in an ecosystem

• The total mass of living things per unit area for each trophic level in an ecosystem

• The transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next

• The feeding positions in a food chain or food web

What does a pyramid of numbers show?

• The flow of nutrients in an ecosystem

• The transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next

• The total mass of living things per unit area for each trophic level in an ecosystem

• The number of organisms present at each trophic level in an ecosystem

What does a pyramid of biomass show?

• The transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next

• The flow of nutrients in an ecosystem

• The total mass of living things per unit area for each trophic level in an ecosystem

• The number of organisms present at each trophic level in an ecosystem

What does a pyramid of energy show?

• The flow of nutrients in an ecosystem

• The transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next

• The total mass of living things per unit area for each trophic level in an ecosystem

• The number of organisms present at each trophic level in an ecosystem