Food Webs

What is the primary reason the narrator enjoyed nature shows as a child?

• They had a fascination with predators.

• Nature shows were one of the few programs received without cable.

• Nature shows featured their favorite animals.

• They were interested in becoming zoologists.

What type of organism is a producer?

• A secondary consumer

• An autotroph that makes its own food

• A decomposer

• A heterotroph that consumes other organisms

Which of the following best describes an autotroph?

• An organism that feeds on dead matter

• An organism that produces its own food

• An organism that consumes other living organisms

• An organism that relies on sunlight for energy

How much energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next?

• About 50%

• Less than 10%

• Exactly 10%

• Up to 90%

What is the main reason for energy loss between trophic levels?

• Secondary consumers are inefficient eaters.

• Energy is stored and not lost.

• Most of it is used for reproduction.

• It is lost as heat or remains undigested.

What happens if a primary consumer is removed from a food chain?

• Secondary consumers will increase in number.

• It can negatively affect other organisms in the chain.

• Producers will become the dominant group.

• The ecosystem becomes more stable.

What could be a consequence of removing an apex predator from an ecosystem?

• An increase in biodiversity

• All species become producers

• A decrease in primary consumers

• An overpopulation of certain species

Why is a food web a better model than a food chain for most ecosystems?

• It illustrates multiple interactions and biodiversity.

• It simplifies the relationships in an ecosystem.

• It shows a single pathway of energy flow.

• It only includes primary consumers.

How does biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

• By making the ecosystem more resilient to changes

• By limiting the number of species in an area

• By reducing the food options for predators

• By ensuring only strong species survive

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

• They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients.

• They only consume living organisms.

• They are the primary consumers in food chains.

• They reduce the biodiversity of an ecosystem.