Ecosystem Essentials: Living and Non-Living Components Explained

This video tutorial explores ecosystems, focusing on the components that make them up, including living organisms and non-living matter. It explains the roles of producers, decomposers, and consumers within an ecosystem, using examples like plants, fungi, and animals. The video also discusses the cycling of matter and energy and concludes with a food web diagram to illustrate these concepts.

What are ecosystems composed of?

• Only plants and animals

• Both living organisms and non-living matter

• Only non-living matter

• Only living organisms

Which of the following is considered non-living matter in an ecosystem?

• Water

• Owls

• Plants

• Mice

What role do producers play in an ecosystem?

• They decompose dead organisms

• They produce their own food

• They consume other organisms

• They provide shelter for animals

Which of the following is a decomposer?

• Caterpillar

• Hawk

• Fungi

• Grass

What is the primary function of consumers in an ecosystem?

• To decompose organic matter

• To provide nutrients to the soil

• To consume plants or other organisms

• To produce food

Which of the following is an example of a producer?

• Mushrooms

• Bushes

• Birds

• Worms

In a food web, what does a caterpillar represent?

• Consumer

• Decomposer

• Producer

• Non-living matter

What happens to organisms when they die in an ecosystem?

• They are broken down by decomposers

• They are consumed by other organisms

• They become producers

• They disappear completely

Which of the following organisms is a consumer?

• Mushroom

• Hawk

• Worm

• Grass

What is the role of decomposers in the nutrient cycle?

• They break down dead matter into nutrients

• They produce food for plants

• They provide water to the ecosystem

• They consume other organisms