Ecosystems Flashcards
What do producers do?
They convert energy from the environment into sugars (glucose).
What do consumers do?
They get energy from the sugars produced by producers.
What do decomposers do?
Decomposers break down dead matter and return the nutrients to the soil.
What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?
The food chain shows direct links between producers consumers in a straight line.
The food web shows all connections between producers and consumers in a much more complex way.
What are the two main sources of nutrients?
Rainwater washing out chemicals out of the atmosphere.
Weathered rock releases nutrients into the soil.
What are 2 reasons biomass decreases between each level in the food chain?
Biomass is lost though excretion.
Biomass is lost through respiration.
What is the nutrient cycle?
When decomposers use dead matter to help recycle nutrients, making them available for the growth of plants and animals.
What are the two causes of change to an ecosystem?
Natural changes and human activities.
True or false: Deserts are 30 degrees north and south of the equator?
True.
Which global ecosystem is 40-50 degrees north of the equator?
Mediterranean.
Which global ecosystem is 30-40 degrees north and south of the equator?
Temperate grasslands.
