Food Chains

• What do all organisms in an ecosystem depend on?

  Each other
• What do food chains show?

  The flow of energy between organisms
• What do food webs illustrate?

  How food chains in an ecosystem interact
• What is the starting point of a food chain?

  A producer
• What is a primary consumer?

  The first consumer in a food chain
• What type of consumer is a grasshopper?

  Primary consumer
• What is a carnivore?

  A consumer that eats other animals
• What is the role of a tertiary consumer?

  It eats secondary consumers
• What is an apex predator?

  The top consumer in a food chain
• What do the arrows in food chains represent?

  The flow of energy between organisms
• What is ecology?

  The study of living organisms and their habitats
• What is a habitat?

  The place where an organism lives
• What are trophic levels?

  Stages in a food chain
• What is photosynthesis?

  A process that converts sunlight into glucose
• In the food chain grass → rabbit → fox, what is the producer?


  Grass
• What happens to energy in a food chain?

  It moves from producers to consumers
• What is chemosynthesis?

  A process used by bacteria at volcanic vents
• Where does the energy in food chains originally come from?

  The Sun
• What is a top predator?

  An animal not eaten by others
• What happens if a plant or animal is removed from a food chain?

  It can disrupt the entire ecosystem
• What is a food web?

  A network of interconnected food chains
• What are decomposers responsible for?

  Returning nutrients to the soil
• What happens to the top consumer in a food chain?

  They die and return nutrients to the soil
• What are toxic materials in the food chain?

  Poisonous substances that accumulate
• What is the effect of mercury in the food chain?

  It damages nervous and reproductive systems
• How does mercury accumulate in the food chain?

  It increases concentration as you move up
• What happens to plankton in the food chain?

  They absorb mercury compounds
• What is the consequence of eating contaminated tuna?

  It may cause mercury poisoning
• What is the role of pesticides like DDT in food chains?

  They can cause harm to top predators
• What is the impact of an uncontrolled deer population?

  It can damage habitats of other animals
• What is the relationship between food chains and ecosystems?

  Food chains link together to form ecosystems
• What is the definition of a population?

  Members of a single species in a habitat
• How do organisms in a habitat usually obtain food?

  From more than one food source
• What is the significance of the food web?

  It shows interlinked food chains
• What happens to energy and minerals in the top predator?

  They die and return nutrients to the soil
• How do toxic materials affect organisms in a food chain?

  They accumulate and damage predators
• What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

  They recycle nutrients back into the soil
• What is the main source of energy for food chains?

  The Sun
• What is the relationship between producers and consumers?

  Producers provide energy for consumers
• How does the removal of one species affect a food web?

  It can disrupt multiple food chains