Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Explore the concepts of energy flow, food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids in ecosystems.
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Energy Flow in Ecosystems
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Show all your work for calculations.
1. What is the primary source of energy for almost all ecosystems on Earth?
Geothermal energy
Chemical energy from chemosynthesis
Solar energy
Nuclear energy
2. Which trophic level contains organisms that produce their own food?
Primary consumers
Secondary consumers
Producers
Decomposers
3. The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called the .
4. Only about percent of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.
5. Explain the difference between a food chain and a food web.
6. Analyze the food web below and answer the following questions:
a) Identify two producers in this food web.
b) Name one organism that is both a primary and secondary consumer.
c) What would happen to the population of snakes if the population of mice decreased significantly? Explain your answer.
7. Decomposers are essential for recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
True
False