NGS - Principles of Ecology - Sec. 2: Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Front

What is a primary producer in a food chain?

Back

An organism that uses the sun to produce food.

Front

What does an energy pyramid show?

Back

The flow of energy from one trophic level to the next.

Front

What is a primary consumer?

Back

An organism that eats primary producers, such as plants.

Front

What is a tertiary consumer?

Back

An organism that eats secondary consumers in a food chain.

Front

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil.

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

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

Front

What is the significance of trophic levels?

Back

Trophic levels represent the position of organisms in a food chain, indicating their role in energy transfer.

Front

What is biomass?

Back

The total mass of living matter in a given area or volume, often measured at each trophic level.

Front

How does energy transfer between trophic levels?

Back

Energy decreases as it moves up trophic levels, with only about 10% of energy being transferred.