08 Ecosystems and Energy Flow Free Online FlashCards

What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a biological community together with the abiotic environment it interacts with.

What role do producers play in an ecosystem?

Producers make organic molecules, usually by capturing sunlight through photosynthesis; some use chemical energy.

What does a food chain represent?

A food chain represents one pathway through which energy and nutrients pass as organisms feed on one another.

What does an organism’s trophic level indicate?

A trophic level is an organism’s feeding position in a food chain or web. Producers occupy the first level; primary consumers eat producers, and secondary consumers eat primary consumers.

How do matter and energy differ in an ecosystem?

Matter is recycled as decomposers release nutrients for reuse, while energy flows through the ecosystem and ultimately dissipates as heat.

What are abiotic components of an ecosystem?

Abiotic components are the nonliving parts of an environment, such as sunlight, water, air, soil, and temperature.

How do consumers obtain energy?

Consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms or organic matter.

What do decomposers do in an ecosystem?

Decomposers break down dead organisms and wastes, returning nutrients to the environment.

What does an arrow in a food chain show?

An arrow points from the organism or material being eaten to the organism that eats it, showing the direction of energy transfer.

What is a food web?

A food web connects many food chains, showing the more complex feeding relationships in a community.

How does sunlight become energy available in an ecosystem?

Most ecosystem energy enters as sunlight, which producers convert into chemical energy stored in organic matter.

Why is less energy available at each successive trophic level?

Much energy is used for life processes, released as heat through respiration, or left in uneaten parts and waste.