Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Front

What are ecosystems?

Back

Communities of living organisms interacting with their nonliving environment.

Front

What happens if all snakes are removed from a pond ecosystem?

Back

There would be an increase in the turtle population, which would cause a decrease in both the slug and plant populations.

Front

What is the role of bacteria in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers that help break down organic matter into usable forms.

Front

Which organism's extinction would likely have the MOST impact on a food web?

Back

Plankton.

Front

What would happen if manatees became extinct in their habitat?

Back

Certain producer organisms would become more abundant in the area.

Front

What are producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Organisms that produce their own food, typically through photosynthesis.

Front

What are consumers in an ecosystem?

Back

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Front

What are decomposers?

Back

Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

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

Front

What is a trophic level?

Back

The position an organism occupies in a food chain, such as producer, primary consumer, or secondary consumer.