CFA 4 Ecosystem Interactions SB5

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow through different trophic levels.

Front

Define primary consumers.

Back

Primary consumers are organisms that eat producers (plants) to obtain energy. They are typically herbivores.

Front

What role do secondary consumers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Secondary consumers are organisms that eat primary consumers. They can be carnivores or omnivores.

Front

What are tertiary consumers?

Back

Tertiary consumers are organisms that eat secondary consumers. They are often top predators in the food web.

Front

What is the significance of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem and maintaining soil health.

Front

Explain the concept of trophic levels.

Back

Trophic levels represent the hierarchical positions of organisms in a food chain, categorized as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

Front

What is energy transfer in a food web?

Back

Energy transfer in a food web refers to the movement of energy from one trophic level to another, typically decreasing as it moves up the levels.

Front

How much energy is typically transferred from producers to primary consumers?

Back

Typically, about 10% of the energy from producers is transferred to primary consumers.

Front

What happens to energy at each trophic level?

Back

At each trophic level, energy is lost as heat, used for metabolic processes, and only a fraction is passed to the next level.

Front

What is a keystone species?

Back

A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, often maintaining the structure of the ecosystem.