Energy flow through Ecosystem

Front

What is an autotroph?

Back

An organism that produces its own food using sunlight or chemical energy, forming the base of the food chain.

Front

What is the role of autotrophs in ecosystems?

Back

They create food supplies and are the foundation of food chains.

Front

What is the difference between endothermic and ectothermic organisms?

Back

Endothermic organisms are warm-blooded and can regulate their body temperature, while ectothermic organisms are cold-blooded and rely on external sources for body heat.

Front

What is net primary productivity?

Back

The rate at which all the autotrophs in an ecosystem produce organic matter, minus the rate at which they use some of that organic matter during respiration.

Front

What happens to net primary productivity when sunlight decreases?

Back

It lowers net primary productivity.

Front

What are macromolecules?

Back

Large, complex molecules essential for life, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Front

Which macromolecule is not consumed by heterotrophs?

Back

Nucleic acids.

Front

What is the phosphorus cycle?

Back

The process by which phosphorus moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, essential for DNA, RNA, and ATP.

Front

What is the carbon cycle?

Back

The series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, including photosynthesis and respiration.

Front

What is a heterotroph?

Back

An organism that cannot produce its own food and instead consumes other organisms for energy.