2.1 Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is biomass?
The total mass of of living plants, animals, fungi and bacteria in a given area.
What units are commonly used for biomass?
Grams or kilograms per square metre
What are the two ways that an organism in an ecosystem interacts with this given ecosystem?
- Obtains food from ecosystem
2. Contributes energy to the ecosystem
What is energy flow?
The transfer of energy from one organism in an ecosystem to another.
What are producers?
Plants that produce food in the form of carbohydrates during photosynthesis.
What are the carbohydrates produced in photosynthesis used for?
They are used as an energy source for other life forms. (Ex. A bee feeds on a plant)
What are consumers?
The organisms that eat the plants that produce the energy. Note: consumers can eat other consumers to gain energy as well.
Do organism continue to contribute to the energy flow in an ecosystem after they die?
Yes
What is decomposition?
The breaking down of organic wastes and dead organisms
What is biodegradation?
When living organisms like bacteria and lichens break down dead organic matter.
What are decomposers?
The name for the bacteria and fungi (etc.) that break down the dead organic matter.
What happens after the decomposers break down the dead organic matter?
Nutrients are made available to organisms in the soil and water. This links the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem.
What is a food chain?
Models that show the energy flow from plant to animal and animal to animal (from step to step or trophic level to trophic level).
What is a trophic level?
Each step in a food chain
What do trophic levels show?
The feeding and niche relationships amount organisms
What are primary producers?
Producers who are at the first trophic level
What are primary consumers?
Organisms in the second trophic level. They eat primary producers in order to obtain energy.
What are secondary consumers?
Organisms in the third trophic level that obtain energy from eating primary consumers
What are tertiary consumers?
Organisms in the fourth trophic level that feed on secondary consumers for energy.
What are detrivores?
Detrivores are consumers that obtain energy and nutrients by eating the dead bodies of small animals, dead plant matter or animal wastes.
What are some examples of detrivores?
Earthworms and beetles
What are herbivores?
Primary consumers that eat plants only.
What are carnivores?
Secondary consumers that eat primary consumers or tertiary consumers that eat secondary consumers (meat eaters)
What are food webs?
A model of the feeding relationships within an ecosystem.
