Energy in Ecosystems

Front

What is a consumer in an ecosystem?

Back

A consumer is an organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms, such as plants or animals.

Front

What is a producer in an ecosystem?

Back

A producer is an organism that can make its own food, typically through photosynthesis, using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Front

How do consumers depend on producers?

Back

Consumers depend on producers for energy because they cannot produce their own food and must eat producers or other consumers.

Front

What is the primary source of energy for producers?

Back

The primary source of energy for producers is the Sun.

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.

Front

If a polar bear requires 5,600,000 kcal of energy each year, how much energy do the seals it eats require?

Back

56,000,000 kcal.

Front

What is the role of primary consumers in an ecosystem?

Back

Primary consumers are organisms that eat producers; they are the first level of consumers in 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 through which energy and nutrients flow, while a food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains.

Front

How is energy transferred in a food web?

Back

Energy is transferred from one organism to another when one organism eats another.

Front

What happens to energy as it moves up the energy pyramid?

Back

As energy moves up the energy pyramid, it decreases because energy is lost as heat and through metabolic processes.