Trophic Levels and Food Webs

Front

What is a producer?

Back

An organism that can make its own food using chemosynthesis or photosynthesis.

Front

What is a heterotroph?

Back

An organism that cannot make its own food and relies on consuming other organisms.

Front

Why can the ecosystem only support small numbers of consumers compared to a large number of producers?

Back

There is not enough energy available to support more consumers.

Front

What would happen if the grasshopper were removed from the food web?

Back

The shrew would be most affected, as it relies on the grasshopper as a food source.

Front

What is a niche?

Back

An organism's role or job in its habitat, including what it eats, what eats it, and how it reproduces.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

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

Front

What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs?

Back

Autotrophs can produce their own food, while heterotrophs must consume other organisms for energy.

Front

What is a trophic level?

Back

A position in a food chain or food web that is defined by how an organism obtains its energy.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Front

What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

Back

The sun, which provides energy for photosynthesis in producers.