Energy Flow in Ecosystems

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What are heterotrophs?

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Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms for energy. Examples include animals and fungi.

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What is a producer in an ecosystem?

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An organism that can make its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Examples include plants and algae.

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What are autotrophs?

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Organisms that can produce their own food from inorganic substances. They are also known as producers.

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What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers break down dead and decaying organisms, returning nutrients to the soil and helping to recycle matter.

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What is a food chain?

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A linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem.

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What is a food web?

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A complex network of interconnected food chains that illustrates how different organisms are related in terms of energy flow.

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What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

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The sun, which provides energy for photosynthesis in producers.

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What is a consumer?

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An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms. Consumers can be herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores.

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What is the difference between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores?

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Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat animals, and omnivores eat both plants and animals.

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What is a trophic level?

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Each step in a food chain or food web, representing the flow of energy from one level to the next.