Flow of Matter and Energy

What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?

• They produce energy through photosynthesis.

• They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients.

• They compete with plants for sunlight.

• They are the primary consumers in the food chain.

The organisms that eat the primary consumers are called _________?

• primary consumer

• tertiary consumer

• secondary consumer

• decomposer

What are heterotrophs?

• Organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis.

• Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms.

• Organisms that primarily live in aquatic environments.

• Organisms that are capable of converting inorganic substances into organic matter.

Which of the following is the name given to organisms that make their own food?

• heterotrophs

• autotrophs

• decomposers

• parasites

What is the difference between primary consumers and secondary consumers?

• Primary consumers eat plants, while secondary consumers eat other plants.

• Primary consumers eat producers (plants), while secondary consumers eat primary consumers.

• Primary consumers are herbivores, while secondary consumers are carnivores only.

• Primary consumers are the top of the food chain, while secondary consumers are at the bottom.

What is biomass?

• The total mass of living matter within a given unit of environmental area.

• The total weight of all organic materials in a specific region.

• The amount of energy produced by living organisms.

• The sum of all carbon compounds in an ecosystem.

The primary or base level is formed by the autotrophs, also known as ____

• consumers

• decomposers

• producers

• herbivores

What is a food chain?

• A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

• A complex network of food webs that includes multiple species.

• A diagram that shows the energy flow in an ecosystem without specific organisms.

• A list of all the plants and animals in a particular habitat.

What is the role of producers in an ecosystem?

• Producers convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.

• Producers consume other organisms for energy.

• Producers decompose organic matter into nutrients.

• Producers regulate the population of consumers.

The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. True or False?

• True

• False

• Sometimes

• Rarely