Food Chains and Food Webs Quest

If the plants at the base of an energy pyramid contain 450,000 calories of food energy how many calories are on the next 4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th levels) levels?

1. 450,000 2. 45,000 3. 4,500 4. 450 5. 45

What happens to the energy that is passed to primary consumers from producers? list three possibilities:

1. They use it to carry out their daily activities 2. They store some in their body tissues 3. Some is lost to the environment in the form of heat

All food chains begin with a 1. -------- and end with a 2. ----------.

1. producer 2. consumer

How much energy from one trophic level is available to be passed up to the next level?

10%

How much energy is passed from plants to primary consumers?

10%

Plants make molecules of glucose and use glucose as a source of energy. How much energy does a plant use for itself?

90%

How is a food web different than a food chain?

A food chain is a series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and by being eaten. A food web shows the relationship between all the species in a community. A food web links all the food chains in an ecosystem together.

What is a food chain?

A food chain is a simple model that shows the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Define food web:

A food web shows the relationship between all species in a community. It links all the food chains in an ecosystem together.

If a deer lives in a meadow what eats it?

A wolf or coyote, or hunted by man.

Why are Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores, and Decomposers all consumers?

All of the organisms are consumers because none are capable of manufacturing their own food. Although each group obtains food from a different source, each group is required to obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Define Autotroph:

An organism that can capture energy from the sun or inorganic chemical reactions and use it to produce its own food.

Define Heterotroph:

An organism that cannot manufacture its own food. These organisms obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

What are consumers?

Consumers are organisms that cannot make their own food (and energy). They get energy by eating other organisms

What happens to the number of organisms at each level of an energy pyramid from the base? explain why this happens:

Each higher trophic level in an energy pyramid has fewer organisms than the level below it. A trophic level can only contain as many organisms as can be supported by the food supply at the level below it. Because only 10% of the energy is made available to the next level, fewer organisms can be supported.

Choose a meat product you eat and construct a food chain with you as the final consumer

Grass to cows to humans

Are humans herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores. Explain

Humans are usually omnivores because we eat both plants and animals, but some people are herbivores because they only eat plants.

Three examples of consumers:

Lions, bears, grasshoppers

What would happen is decomposers are removed from a food chain?

Matter would not be able to be recycled. Decomposers break down complex molecules into simpler molecules that are returned to the environment to be used again. Decomposers return carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and other chemical elements to the environment so that they can be used to build new organisms.

What are producers?

Producers are organisms that can utilize an outside energy source, such as the sun, to manufacture their own food molecules in the form of energy-rich carbs (glucose).

What is the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration?

Producers use the energy from the sun (photosynthesis) to convert carbon dioxide and water into molecules of glucose and oxygen. In the process of cellular respiration, glucose is broken down into carbon dioxide and water. The two processes are dependent on one another.

When a deer dies what happens to its remains?

Scavengers may feed on the carcass. Organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, may break down the complex compounds into simpler compounds that are recycled in the ecosystem.

What happens to molecules of glucose (energy) that are not used by plants?

The excess molecules of glucose are stored in the body tissues of the plant.

Define: Carnivores + examples

They are animals that are "meat-eaters". Possible examples include lions, tigers, owls, and spiders.

What role do vultures play in a food web?

They are scavengers that feed on remains of dead animals.

Where do consumers get their energy?

They cannot make their own energy-rich molecules so they obtain energy by eating other organisms.

Define: Decomposers + examples

They consume wastes and cause the decay of dead animals. examples: bacteria, mushrooms

Define: Omnivores + examples

They eat both plants and animals. Possible examples include humans, pigs, crabs, and raccoons.

Secondary Consumer

They eat the primary consumers and may be an omnivore or a carnivore. example: mouse

Tertiary Consumer

They eat the secondary consumers. example: snake

What is 90% of the energy used for in the plants?

They use it for their daily activities, such as growth, repair and reproduction.

Where do producers get their energy?

They use the energy of the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into molecules of glucose. This glucose is then used as a source of energy.

List three examples of producers:

Trees, grass, phytoplankton

What are trophic levels?

Trophic levels are the steps in a food chain or food web.

If a deer lives in a meadow what does it eat?

an assortment of plant materials such as grass, leaves, berries, fruits, and lichens.

What is an energy pyramid?

an energy pyramid shows the amount of energy within each trophic level of a food chain or food web. It represents the loss of energy at each level of a food chain.

In a food chain why would there be an arrow leading from every organism to mushrooms?

because every food chain and food web ends with decomposers such as bacteria and fungi. Every organism in a food chain will eventually die and be decomposed by some sort of decomposer (mushrooms). Decomposers break down complex molecules into simpler molecules that are returned to the environment to be used again.

What terms can be used to describe crickets?

herbivores, primary consumers

What terms can be used to describe owls?

quaternary consumers, carnivores

What terms can be used to describe birds?

secondary consumers

What terms can be used to describe snakes?

tertiary consumers, carnivores

What is the ultimate source of energy for all living organisms?

the sun

Define: Herbivores + examples

they are animals that eat only plants. Possible examples are cows, rabbits, and deer.

Primary Consumer

they eat the producers and are herbivores. example: grasshopper