Unit 1

• What is the primary source of energy for Earth's ecosystems?

  The Sun
• How is energy transformed in ecosystems?

  Energy is transformed into other types of energy and is utilized by organisms.
• What are the three main types of organisms in a food chain?

  • Producers
  • Consumers
  • Decomposers
• What is the term for organisms that produce their own food using light energy?

  Producers
• What does the term 'autotroph' mean?


  'Autotroph' means 'self-feeder'.
• What are organisms that cannot make their own food called?

  Consumers
• What does the term 'heterotroph' mean?

  'Heterotroph' means 'other-feeder'.
• What are the types of consumers based on their diet?

  • Herbivores: Primary consumers that eat plants.
  • Carnivores: Animals that eat other animals.
  • Secondary consumers: Carnivores that eat herbivores.
  • Tertiary consumers: Carnivores that eat other carnivores.
• What is an example of a primary consumer?

  A zebra
• What is an example of a secondary consumer?

  A lion that eats a zebra
• What is an example of a tertiary consumer?

  A killer whale that eats seals
• What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

  Decomposers break down waste products and dead organisms.
• What organisms are considered the main decomposers?

  Bacteria and fungi
• What is the process called when decomposers break down dead organic matter?

  Decomposition
• What does the term 'saprotroph' refer to?

  Saprotrophs are organisms that feed on dead organic matter.
• What does 'sapro' and 'troph' mean in the context of saprotrophs?


  'Sapro' means dead or decaying, and 'troph' means feeder.