Energy in Ecosystems

Front

What is the ultimate source of energy for all organisms in a food web?

Back

The Sun.

Front

How does energy flow in a food web?

Back

Energy flows from producers and consumers to decomposers.

Front

How is energy transferred between a crustacean and a dolphin?

Back

Energy is transferred from the crustacean to the dolphin.

Front

If a squirrel requires 51,000 kcal of energy each year, how much energy is required by the plants it eats?

Back

510,000 kcal.

Front

What are consumers in a food web?

Back

Organisms that eat other organisms, such as mice, foxes, and owls.

Front

What are producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Organisms that create their own food, typically plants.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into 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 an energy pyramid?

Back

A graphical representation showing the flow of energy at different trophic levels in an ecosystem.