food chains

• What is necessary for ecosystems to remain stable over long periods of time?

  Continuous energy input to replace lost energy
• Where does the energy that enters ecosystems come from?

  It comes from the Sun
• What process do green plants use to trap energy from the Sun?

  Photosynthesis
• What are plants that can photosynthesize called?

  Producers
• What role do producers play in an ecosystem?

  They produce their own food and provide energy for other organisms
• Who are the primary consumers in an ecosystem?

  Herbivores that feed on plants
• What are secondary consumers in an ecosystem?

  Carnivores that eat primary consumers
• What are tertiary consumers?

  Animals that feed on secondary consumers
• What is the sequence of energy flow in an ecosystem?

  Producers trap energy from the Sun, which then passes to consumers
• What are trophic levels?

  Different stages in the feeding sequence of an ecosystem
• At which trophic level do producers occur?

  Trophic level 1
• What is a food chain?

  A diagram representing feeding relationships and energy flow between organisms
• What does a food chain illustrate?

  The feeding relationships and flow of energy between living organisms
• What does the producer provide in a food chain?

  Food and energy for primary consumers
• What do primary consumers provide for secondary consumers in a food chain?

  Food and energy
• What is a food web?

  A complex network of interlinked food chains
• Why are food webs important?

  They provide a more realistic picture of feeding relationships in ecosystems
• What do food webs illustrate?

  Interlinked food chains and the complexity of feeding relationships
• What organisms are typically involved in food webs?

  Producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers