Food Webs, Energy Pyramids

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow through different trophic levels.

Front

What is an energy pyramid?

Back

An energy pyramid is a graphical representation that shows the flow of energy at different trophic levels in an ecosystem, illustrating how energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid.

Front

What role do primary consumers play in a food web?

Back

Primary consumers are organisms that eat producers (plants) and are the second trophic level in a food web.

Front

What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

Back

The primary source of energy for most ecosystems is the Sun.

Front

How does energy transfer between trophic levels?

Back

Energy transfer between trophic levels is inefficient, with only about 10% of the energy being passed on to the next level, while the rest is lost as heat.

Front

What is a primary producer?

Back

A primary producer is an organism, typically a plant or algae, that produces energy through photosynthesis and forms the base of the food web.

Front

What happens to the number of organisms as you move up the energy pyramid?

Back

As you move up the energy pyramid, the number of organisms generally decreases due to the loss of energy at each trophic level.

Front

What is a tertiary consumer?

Back

A tertiary consumer is an organism that eats secondary consumers and is typically at the top of the food chain.

Front

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

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where each is eaten by the next, while a food web is a more complex network of interconnected food chains.

Front

What is a carnivore?

Back

A carnivore is an organism that primarily eats other animals.