Food Chain, Food Web and Ecological Pyramid

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

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What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow between different organisms.

Front

What are producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers are organisms, typically plants, that create their own food through photosynthesis and form the base of the food chain.

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What are primary consumers?

Back

Primary consumers are organisms that eat producers; they are typically herbivores.

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What are secondary consumers?

Back

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

Front

What is an ecological pyramid?

Back

An ecological pyramid is a graphical representation showing the relative amounts of energy or biomass at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Front

What happens to energy as it moves up the ecological pyramid?

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Energy decreases as it moves up the ecological pyramid, with only about 10% of energy being transferred to the next trophic level.

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What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and completing the nutrient cycle.

Front

How do arrows in a food web function?

Back

Arrows in a food web indicate the direction of energy flow, pointing from the organism that is eaten to the organism that eats it.

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What is the difference between herbivores and carnivores?

Back

Herbivores are primary consumers that eat plants, while carnivores are secondary consumers that eat other animals.