Feeding

• How do scientists use food chains?

  To represent feeding relationships within a community.
• What do scientists call the first organism in a food chain?

  Producer.
• What term is used for organisms that eat producers?

  Primary consumers.
• What is a secondary consumer?

  An animal that eats a primary consumer.
• What are predators in a food chain?

  Consumers that kill and eat other animals.
• What is a stable community?

  A community where all biotic and abiotic factors are in balance.
• What happens to predator-prey cycles in an unstable community?

  They start to change.
• What is the significance of biomass in food chains?

  • Biomass is the total mass of living matter.
  • It is produced by producers through photosynthesis.
  • It serves as energy for consumers in the food chain.
• How does carbon enter the carbon cycle?

  Through photosynthesis
• What is the process called that returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?

  Aerobic respiration
• Why should the terms respiration and breathing not be confused?

  Because respiration is a cellular process, while breathing is a physical act
• What are the two key processes involved in the carbon cycle?

  • Photosynthesis: Adds carbon to the cycle
  • Respiration: Returns carbon to the atmosphere
• What do plants and algae do with the carbon they take in?

  They use it to make carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
• What happens to carbon when animals eat plants?

  It becomes part of the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in animal cells
• What do animals release back to the atmosphere during respiration?

  Carbon dioxide
• What does the term abiotic mean?

  Not living