Food Webs and Energy Pyramids

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What is a food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains that shows how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem.

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What is an energy pyramid?

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An energy pyramid is a graphical representation that shows the flow of energy at different trophic levels in an ecosystem, with producers at the base and top predators at the apex.

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What are producers?

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Producers are organisms, such as plants, that can make their own food through photosynthesis and serve as the base of the food web.

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What are primary consumers?

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Primary consumers are herbivores that eat producers (plants) and are the second level in the energy pyramid.

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What are secondary consumers?

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Secondary consumers are carnivores or omnivores that eat primary consumers and are the third level in the energy pyramid.

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What are tertiary consumers?

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Tertiary consumers are top predators that eat secondary consumers and are at the top of the energy pyramid.

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What is a heterotroph?

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A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must consume other organisms for energy.

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What is an autotroph?

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An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food from inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis.

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How does an increase in primary consumers affect producers?

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An increase in primary consumers can lead to a decrease in the population of producers, as more plants are consumed.

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What role do decomposers play in a food web?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and making them available for producers.