Autotrophs and Heterotrophs in the Food Web Quiz

Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

• Autotrophs and heterotrophs get their energy through cellular respiration, where cells use glucose or other food molecules to make ATP.
• Autotrophs make their own food, while heterotrophs must eat to get food.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• Food energy flows from autotrophs to heterotrophs through the food chain.
• The base of the food chain is made up of autotrophs, which produce food for the rest of the food chain and the entire food web.
• A food web is a diagram made of multiple food chains.

Types of Heterotrophs

• Primary consumers, such as deer or rabbits, eat autotrophs.
• Secondary consumers, such as foxes or snakes, eat primary consumers.
• Tertiary consumers, such as hawks, eat secondary consumers.
• Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, eat dead or decaying matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Energy Sources for Autotrophs

• Autotrophs use two main sources of energy to make food: sunlight and inorganic molecules.
• Phototrophs, such as green plants, algae, and some bacteria, use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis.
• Chemoautotrophs, such as some bacteria, use the energy stored in inorganic molecules to make food through chemosynthesis.

Chemoautotrophs

• Chemoautotrophs are especially common in deep sea vent ecosystems, where there is a lack of sunlight.
• Bacteria in deep sea vents use chemosynthesis to provide food and energy for the rest of the ecosystem.

Examples of Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

• Examples of autotrophs include corn, algae, trees, grass, cyanobacteria, and chemosynthetic bacteria.
• Examples of heterotrophs include beetles, fungi, lizards, hawks, and decomposers.

Decomposers

• Decomposers are heterotrophs that eat dead or decaying matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
• Examples of decomposers include some bacteria, worms, and fungi.

This quiz covers the concepts of autotrophs and heterotrophs in the food web. Learn about organisms that make their own food (autotrophs) and those that rely on other organisms for food (heterotrophs). Explore the roles of producers and consumers in the ecosystem.