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Questions and Answers
Which organisms are at the beginning of a food chain?
Which organisms are at the beginning of a food chain?
What happens when one organism eats another?
What happens when one organism eats another?
What is a food chain?
What is a food chain?
In Gorongosa National Park, what feeds on primary producers like grass?
In Gorongosa National Park, what feeds on primary producers like grass?
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In aquatic ecosystems, what are the primary producers?
In aquatic ecosystems, what are the primary producers?
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How many steps removed from the primary producers are lions in Gorongosa National Park?
How many steps removed from the primary producers are lions in Gorongosa National Park?
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Why are feeding relationships in most ecosystems more complicated than a simple chain?
Why are feeding relationships in most ecosystems more complicated than a simple chain?
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What is a food web?
What is a food web?
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What do raccoons and moorhens eat?
What do raccoons and moorhens eat?
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What do alligators and panthers often prey upon?
What do alligators and panthers often prey upon?
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Which term refers to a network that includes all the food chains in an ecosystem?
Which term refers to a network that includes all the food chains in an ecosystem?
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What is the role of decomposers and detritivores in food webs?
What is the role of decomposers and detritivores in food webs?
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Which organisms primarily feed on primary producers, but most producers die without being eaten?
Which organisms primarily feed on primary producers, but most producers die without being eaten?
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What is the term for each step in a food chain or food web?
What is the term for each step in a food chain or food web?
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What is the shape of a pyramid of energy in a food chain or food web?
What is the shape of a pyramid of energy in a food chain or food web?
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On average, how much of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level?
On average, how much of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level?
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What is the term for the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level?
What is the term for the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level?
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What does a pyramid of biomass illustrate?
What does a pyramid of biomass illustrate?
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What is a pyramid of numbers used to represent in an ecosystem?
What is a pyramid of numbers used to represent in an ecosystem?
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In some cases, the normal pyramid of numbers may be turned upside down, but the pyramid of biomass usually has the normal orientation.
In some cases, the normal pyramid of numbers may be turned upside down, but the pyramid of biomass usually has the normal orientation.
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Study Notes
Food Chains
- Food chains are a sequence of organisms that feed upon each other.
- Producers, or autotrophs, are at the beginning of a food chain. They make their own food from sunlight.
- When one organism eats another, energy is transferred from the consumed organism to the consumer.
- Herbivores, such as zebras and elephants, feed on primary producers such as grasses.
Primary Producers in Ecosystems
- In aquatic ecosystems, algae and phytoplankton are primary producers.
- In Gorongosa National Park, primary producers such as grass are consumed by herbivores.
Food Webs
- Feeding relationships in most ecosystems are more complicated than a simple chain.
- Food webs are a network of interconnected food chains.
- Raccoons eat a wide variety of food, including insects, fruits, and small animals.
- Moorhens are omnivores, feeding on plants and small animals.
- Alligators and panthers often prey on fish, reptiles, and mammals.
Roles within a Food Web
- Decomposers and detritivores play a critical role in breaking down dead organisms, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- Most primary producers die without being eaten, providing food for decomposers.
- Each step in a food chain or food web is known as a trophic level.
Energy Flow
- The shape of a pyramid of energy in a food chain or food web is a pyramid, with a wide base representing producers and a narrow top representing top predators.
- On average, about 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.
- The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called biomass.
Ecological Pyramids
- Pyramids of biomass illustrate the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level.
- Pyramids of numbers represent the number of organisms at each trophic level.
- In some cases, the normal pyramid of numbers may be reversed, but the pyramid of biomass usually retains its typical pyramid shape.
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Description
Test your knowledge on how energy flows through an ecosystem! Learn about the transfer of energy from primary producers to consumers and understand the one-way direction of energy flow. Explore the variations in feeding relationships across different ecosystems.
