5 - Unit 3 Ecology final flashcard

Front

What is carrying capacity in an ecosystem?

Back

The maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can support sustainably.

Front

What factors can affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem?

Back

Factors include availability of resources (food, water, shelter), environmental conditions (sunlight, temperature), and interactions with other species (predation, competition).

Front

What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

Back

Sunlight is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems, as it is used by producers to create organic matter through photosynthesis.

Front

Define autotrophs.

Back

Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food from inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Front

What is the role of producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers, or autotrophs, convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

Front

What are heterotrophs?

Back

Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms for energy.

Front

Explain the concept of a food chain.

Back

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

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how different organisms are related through feeding relationships.

Front

What is the significance of the pyramid of energy?

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The pyramid of energy illustrates the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem, showing that energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid.

Front

What are the different trophic levels in an ecosystem?

Back

The different trophic levels include producers (first level), primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), and tertiary consumers (top predators).