Questions and Answers
Complete the table about feeding relationships.
N/A
What is a food chain?
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.
What is a food web?
A feeding relationship that is much more complicated than the relationship described in a single, simple chain.
Draw arrows between the organisms to show how energy moves through this food chain. Write producer, herbivore, or carnivore under each organism.
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What is the classification of the following organisms: squid, shrimp, shark?
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How does energy flow through this food chain?
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What would happen to this food chain if a disturbance caused a serious decline in the shark population?
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What role does energy play in the ecosystem diagram?
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Primary consumers always make up the first trophic level in a food web.
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Ecological pyramids show the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food web.
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On average, about 50 percent of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.
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The more levels that exist between a producer and a given consumer, the larger the percentage of the original energy from producers is available to that consumer.
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What is algae classified as?
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What is a grasshopper classified as?
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What is marsh grass classified as?
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What is a marsh hawk classified as?
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What is plankton-eating fish classified as?
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What is ribbed mussel classified as?
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What is shrew classified as?
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What is zooplankton classified as?
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Complete the energy pyramid by writing the source of the energy for the food web and how much energy is available to first, second, and third-level consumers.
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What is the energy source in ecosystems?
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What percentage of energy do first-level consumers receive?
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What percentage of energy do second-level consumers receive?
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What percentage of energy do third-level consumers receive?
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A pyramid of _____ illustrates the relative amount of living organic matter available at each trophic level in an ecosystem.
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A pyramid of _____ shows the relative numbers of individual organisms at the trophic levels in an ecosystem.
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A pyramid of _____ shows the relative amounts of energy available at the trophic levels of a food chain or food web.
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What type of ecological pyramid best traces the flow of matter through an ecosystem?
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Study Notes
Feeding Relationships
- Food chains depict the linear transfer of energy from one organism to another through consumption.
- Food webs illustrate complex interactions among multiple food chains, showcasing a network of feeding relationships.
Energy Flow in Food Chains
- Energy flow begins with producers, who convert light or chemical energy into usable forms.
- Consumers—herbivores and carnivores—derive their energy by eating producers or other consumers, respectively.
- Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead organisms, facilitating nutrient availability for primary producers.
Impact of Disturbances
- A decline in predator populations (e.g., sharks) can lead to overpopulation of prey species (e.g., fish), resulting in decreased populations of their food sources (e.g., shrimp and algae).
Trophic Levels and Energy Transfer
- Primary consumers are confirmed to be the first in any food web.
- Ecological pyramids represent energy amounts or biomass at each trophic level.
- Only about 10% of energy from one trophic level is passed to the next, with diminishing returns as you move up levels (e.g., 10% to first-level consumers, 1% to second-level, 0.1% to third-level).
Types of Ecological Pyramids
- Pyramid of biomass displays the amount of living organic material at each trophic level.
- Pyramid of numbers depicts the number of individual organisms existing at each level.
- Pyramid of energy shows the flow and quantities of energy available at different levels, indicating inefficiencies in energy transfer.
Key Organisms in Ecosystems
- Algae and marsh grass serve as primary producers.
- Grasshoppers, ribbed mussels, zooplankton, and shrews are identified as first and second-level consumers.
- Marsh hawks are classified as third-level consumers, indicating their position as predators in the ecosystem.
Energy Sources
- Primary energy sources include light (solar) and chemical energy, fundamental for the sustenance of ecosystems.
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Description
This quiz covers key concepts from Biology Chapter 3.3 regarding energy flow in ecosystems. Flashcards include terms such as food chains and food webs, along with their definitions. Test your understanding of how organisms are interconnected in feeding relationships.
