FOSS Living Systems Inv. 1 Part 2: Ecosystems and Energy Flow

What is a trophic level?

• A position in a food chain or food web, such as producer, primary consumer, or secondary consumer.

• A type of ecosystem that supports various species.

• The total biomass of all organisms in a given area.

• The process of energy transfer between different species.

What is an example of a primary consumer?

• A rabbit

• A lion

• A mushroom

• A tree

Why are ecosystems important?

• They provide entertainment and recreational activities.

• They offer essential services such as clean air, water, and food, and support biodiversity.

• They are primarily important for aesthetic purposes.

• They have no significant impact on human life.

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

• A food chain is a linear sequence of who eats whom, while a food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains.

• A food chain includes only plants, while a food web includes animals.

• A food chain is a diagram, while a food web is a written description.

• A food chain is more complex than a food web.

How do plants contribute to energy flow in an ecosystem?

• Plants capture sunlight and convert it into chemical energy through photosynthesis.

• Plants absorb nutrients from the soil and release oxygen into the atmosphere.

• Plants provide shelter for animals and help in soil formation.

• Plants consume other organisms to obtain energy.

What is a consumer in an ecosystem?

• An organism that can make its own food using sunlight.

• An organism that cannot make its own food and must eat other organisms for energy.

• An organism that only eats plants and not other animals.

• An organism that decomposes dead matter for energy.

What is a food web?

• A simple chain of organisms that eat one another.

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

• A type of food chain that only includes plants.

• A diagram that shows the energy flow in a single species.

What is biodiversity?

• The total number of organisms in a given area.

• The variety of life in a particular ecosystem, including the number of different species.

• The study of how species interact with each other.

• The process of evolution in different species.

How do predators and prey interact in an ecosystem?

• Predators help keep the number of prey in check, which helps maintain balance in the ecosystem.

• Predators and prey have no significant impact on each other.

• Prey species are always more numerous than predator species.

• Predators only hunt during specific seasons, affecting their interaction with prey.

Why is energy transfer in a food chain not 100% efficient?

• Some energy is lost as heat at each trophic level, making the transfer less than 100% efficient.

• Energy is completely transferred from one trophic level to the next.

• All organisms in a food chain consume energy equally.

• Energy is only transferred during the day and not at night.