D: Biology = Changes in Living Systems 1.3 The Web of Life Flashcards
(100 cards)
What is an ecosystem?
An ecological system where key parts are organized in specific ways to function sustainably.
Includes interactions between organisms and their physical environment.
What is the initial source of energy for organisms in the prairie grassland ecosystem?
Energy from the Sun captured by grasses and wildflowers through photosynthesis.
What are producers?
Organisms that convert light energy and store it in the chemical bonds of organic molecules.
Includes green plants, algae, and phytoplankton.
What process do producers use to synthesize sugars and organic compounds?
Photosynthesis.
What are consumers?
Organisms that rely on other organisms as a source of energy.
What are primary consumers or herbivores?
Organisms that eat green plants, algae, or phytoplankton.
Fill in the blank: An organism that uses light energy to synthesize sugars and other organic compounds through the process of _______ is called a producer.
photosynthesis
Fill in the blank: An organism that uses other organisms as a source of energy is called a _______.
consumer
True or False: Herbivores are a type of primary consumer.
True
What types of organisms are included in the category of producers?
- Green plants
- Algae
- Phytoplankton
What role do primary consumers play in an ecosystem?
They eat producers such as green plants and algae.
What are grasshoppers classified as in the prairie grassland ecosystem?
Herbivores
Grasshoppers eat the leaves of grasses and other plants.
What term is used for organisms that eat herbivores?
Secondary consumers
Yellow warblers eat grasshoppers.
What are peregrine falcons classified as in the food chain?
Tertiary consumers
They eat secondary consumers like yellow warblers.
What classification applies to yellow warblers and peregrine falcons due to their eating habits?
Carnivores
They kill and eat other animals.
What are animals called that eat both plants and animals?
Omnivores
Example: Sparrows eat seeds and insects.
What term describes skunks when they eat a variety of foods including insects, bird eggs, and berries?
Omnivores
Skunks also eat mice.
What role do skunks sometimes play when they consume the remains of dead animals?
Scavengers
They feed on meat from animals that died from various causes.
What is a scavenger?
A larger animal that feeds on dead and decaying animals that it did not kill itself
This term is usually reserved for larger organisms.
What are decomposers responsible for in an ecosystem?
Breaking down complex organic molecules into simpler molecules
They return organic material to inorganic material.
Why are decomposers critical to the ecosystem?
They provide essential inorganic compounds required by producers
Decomposers act on all dead plant and animal matter.
Fill in the blank: An organism that eats both plants and animals is called an _______.
Omnivore
True or False: All animals fit neatly into the categories of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
False
Some animals are opportunists and eat a wide variety of foods.
What is the definition of a tertiary consumer?
An organism that eats secondary consumers
Example: Peregrine falcons.
