All Flashcards
What is the 10% rule?
Only about 10% of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level; the rest is lost as heat.
Explain the importance of decomposers.
They recycle nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter, making nutrients available to producers.
What is resource partitioning?
When species divide a limited resource to avoid direct competition, allowing them to coexist.
Why are food webs more accurate than food chains?
Food webs show the complex, interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem, while food chains are simplified linear sequences.
Describe the role of producers in an ecosystem.
Producers are the foundation of the food web, converting sunlight into energy that supports all other organisms.
How do predator-prey relationships regulate population sizes?
Predators control prey populations, preventing overpopulation, while prey availability influences predator numbers.
Explain the significance of keystone species.
Keystone species maintain the structure and function of their community; their removal can cause dramatic ecosystem changes.
How does competition influence natural selection?
Species better adapted to access limited resources are more likely to survive and reproduce, driving evolutionary change.
What are the main differences among primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers?
Primary consumers eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, and tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers.
Explain the difference between a scavenger and a detritivore.
Scavengers eat dead animals, while detritivores break down dead tissues and waste products.
What is the effect of energy loss at each trophic level?
Limits the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem and results in fewer top predators.
What is the effect of removing a keystone species?
Can lead to a trophic cascade and significant changes in community structure and biodiversity.
What is the effect of overgrazing by herbivores?
Reduces plant biomass, leads to soil erosion, and can alter plant species composition.
What is the effect of competition for limited resources?
Can lead to resource partitioning or exclusion of one species from the habitat.
What is the effect of increased hunting of deer in a forest ecosystem?
Can help restore balance in the ecosystem by reducing overgrazing and allowing plant communities to recover.
What is the effect of introducing a new predator to an ecosystem?
Can control prey populations, but may also disrupt the existing food web and impact other species.
What is the effect of deforestation on trophic levels?
Reduces the number of producers, impacting the entire food web and decreasing biodiversity.
What is the effect of pollution on aquatic food webs?
Can accumulate in higher trophic levels (biomagnification), harming top predators.
What is the effect of climate change on predator-prey relationships?
Alters species distributions and behaviors, potentially disrupting established interactions.
What is the effect of habitat loss on keystone species?
Can lead to their decline or extinction, causing cascading effects throughout the ecosystem.
What is the effect of removing a keystone species?
Can lead to ecosystem collapse or significant changes in community structure and function.
What is the effect of overgrazing by herbivores?
Reduced plant biomass, soil erosion, habitat loss, and changes in plant species composition.
What is the effect of introducing a non-native predator?
Can decimate native prey populations that lack defenses, leading to ecological imbalances.
What is the effect of increased competition for limited resources?
Can lead to resource partitioning, natural selection, or the exclusion of less competitive species.
What are the consequences of deforestation on trophic levels?
Loss of producers, reduced biodiversity, disruption of food webs, and decreased carbon sequestration.
What are the effects of pollution on aquatic food webs?
Bioaccumulation of toxins in higher trophic levels, reduced biodiversity, and disruption of ecosystem functions.
What is the effect of climate change on predator-prey relationships?
Changes in species distribution, altered timing of life cycle events, and mismatches in predator-prey interactions.
What is the effect of removing decomposers from an ecosystem?
Nutrient cycling slows down, organic matter accumulates, and the availability of nutrients for producers decreases.