ecology (not finished)

Question 1

define ecosystem

Answer 1

the scientific study of the relationships that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment

Question 2

abiotic vs biotic

Answer 2

abiotic: nonliving things
biotic: living things (organisms)

Question 3

biotic or abiotic: plankton

Answer 3

bitoic

Question 4

biotic or abiotic: fish

Answer 4

biotic

Question 5

biotic or abiotic: sunlight

Answer 5

abiotic

Question 6

biotic or abiotic: temperature

Answer 6

abiotic

Question 7

What is a food chain?

Answer 7

A model that shows a sequence of feeding relationships, follows the connection between one producer and a single chain of consumers within an ecosystem

Question 8

What is a food web?

Answer 8

Shows a complex network of feeding relationships, arrows in a food web point the direction of energy flow (thing that gets eaten -> predator), emphasizes that an organism may have multiple feeding relationships in an ecosystem and that complicated feeding relationships & energy flow in an ecosystem

Question 9

How are food chains and food webs alike?

Answer 9

Both show how energy flows from one organism to another through feeding, both include trophic levels (producers, consumers, decomposers) and both show how the organisms depend on each other for food

Question 10

How are food chains and food webs different?

Answer 10

Food chain: linear/one path of energy flow, shows organisms only eating one organism, food web: many paths of energy flow, organisms have many food sources/predators, more accurate

Question 11

What do the arrows represent?

Answer 11

The direction of energy flow

Question 12

What do BOTH food webs and food chains represent within an ecosystem?

Answer 12

Both represent the energy flow within organisms

Question 13

producer

Answer 13

Autotroph- they make their own food, provide energy for other organisms (consumers) in an ecosystem,

Question 14

primary consumer

Answer 14

herbivores that eat producers

Question 15

secondary consumer

Answer 15

carnivores that eat herbivores

Question 16

tertiary consumer

Answer 16

carnivores that eat secondary consumers

Question 17

What is another name for consumers?

Answer 17

Heterotroph- they feed off different things

Question 18

How do the producers in the food web obtain energy?

Answer 18

Obtain from non-living resources, most producers obtain energy from sunlight, make their own chemical energy

Question 19

Where do detritivores fit into a food web?

Answer 19

Detritivores are organisms that eat dead matter, and they are considered consumers, technically detritivores would have arrows pointing to all organisms in a food web, so they are usually set aside

Question 20

Why are detritivores important within an ecosystem? Act as the recyclers, by breaking down dead matter this releases nutirents back into the enviornmemt which is essential for the overall balance of ecosystems

Answer 20

Act as the recyclers, by breaking down dead matter this releases nutirents back into the enviornmemt which is essential for the overall balance of ecosystems