Food Chains and Webs Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is a Food Chain?
A linear diagram which illustrates the flow of energy (in the form of food) from one organism to another in an ecosystem.
What does the arrow in a food chain represent?
Is eaten by.
What is the main source of energy in a food chain?
The Sun.
What is a Producer?
The organism (green plant) that manufactures its own food through solar energy.
What is a Consumer?
The organism (usually amn animal) that obtains energy/food by feeding on other animals/organisms - primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.
What is an Apex Predator?
The top carnivore in the food chain.
What is a Herbivore?
An animal which only eats plants.
What is a Carnivore?
An animal that only eats animals.
What is an Omnivore?
An animal that eats plants and animals.
What is an Autotroph?
An organism that makes its own food.
What is a Heterotroph?
An animal that gets its food by eating other animals.
What is a Detritivore?
An animal which feeds on dead organisms (e.g. vultures, crabs).
What is a Decomposer?
A bacterium or fungus which breaks down (completely) dead organisms.
What is a Food Web?
A network/an interconnection of multiple food chains or a connection of food chains which are linked/share common organisms.
What is a Trophic Level?
The position at which an organism feeds in a food chain/web - 10% of the preceding level’s energy (in ascending order) is passed on - and some is lost as heat.
