Biology: Ecosystems

Question 1

What is a top carnivore?

Answer 1

A top carnivore is an animal in a food chain that is not preyed upon by any other animal within the food chain.

Question 2

What are trophic levels?

Answer 2

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comparing organisms that share the same function in the food chain.

Question 3

What do the arrows in a food chain represent?

Answer 3

Who in the food chain is doing the eating, as well as the transferring of energy.

Question 4

When drawing a food chain:

Answer 4

It should look like this:

Lettuce - Rabbit - Fox - Hawk

Question 5

How much percentage of energy does each level on the pyramid get?

Answer 5

Each level in a pyramid recieves only 10% of the previous levels energy. Ex: 1000, 100, 10, 1.

Question 6

Why do the boxes in pyramids change size?

Answer 6

They change size because each trophic level receives less energy than the previous one. This is because the energy is continuously being used up from the lettuce all the way to the top organisms in the food chain. (Rabbit jumping, breathing, etc.)

Question 7

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Answer 7

Decomposers break down dead organisms and return the nutrients back to the ecosystem.

Question 8

Decomposers:

Answer 8

• Ants
• Millipedes
• Earthworms

Question 9

Why are open ecosystems better than closed ecosystems?

Answer 9

They are better because:
- Animals can enter and leave it, allowing new animals to come and help the ecosystem.
- Closed ecosystems can only by sustained by itself for a period of time before someoen has to help maintain it.
- Closed systems only thrive on what they have. (cannot obtain things from the outside)

Question 10

Examples of OPEN and CLOSED ecosystems:

Answer 10

Open: Rainforest, Desert, Ocean.

Closed: Cage, Aquarium, Earth.

Question 11

What materials do plants need for photosynthesis?

Answer 11

• Water
• Carbon Dioxide
• Sunlight

Question 12

What materials do organisms need for cellular respiration?

Answer 12

• Glucose
• Oxygen

Question 13

Circle Diagram that shows how cellular respiration and photos work together:

Answer 13

(PHOTOSYNTHESIS) - [OXYGEN + GLUCOSE] - (CELLULAR RESPIRATION) - [WATER + CARBON DIOXIDE] (back to photosynthesis)

Question 14

Another word for “vegetarian”.

Answer 14

Herbivore

Question 15

PYRAMID OF NUMBERS:

Answer 15

1 tree - thousands of insects - hundreds of birds

Question 16

Trophic level (Rabbit, Fox, Hawk, Lettuce):

Answer 16

FIRST: Lettuce
SECOND: Rabbit
THIRD: Fox
FOURTH: Hawk

Question 17

Consumers (Rabbit, Fox, Hawk, Lettuce):

Answer 17

PRODUCER: Lettuce
FIRST: Rabbit
SECOND: Fox
THIRD: Hawk