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What do food webs illustrate?
How energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem and how species interact.
Why are food webs more realistic than food chains?
Organisms often have multiple food sources and predators.
What does a trophic cascade demonstrate?
How interconnected species are and how changes in one population can affect the entire ecosystem.
Why are negative feedback loops crucial?
For ecosystem health and balance; they maintain stability.
Why are positive feedback loops concerning?
They can be difficult to reverse and can lead to significant ecosystem changes.
How do invasive species impact ecosystems?
They often create positive feedback loops, leading to decline of native species.
What is the role of producers in a food chain?
To convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the chain.
How does energy flow through a food chain?
Energy flows from producers to consumers, decreasing at each trophic level.
What happens when a keystone species is removed?
The ecosystem can drastically change or collapse due to the absence of its regulatory role.
Describe the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
Higher biodiversity often leads to greater ecosystem stability and resilience.
What is the effect of increased sea otters?
Decreased sea urchins and increased kelp.
What is the effect of melting ice?
Darker ground is exposed, leading to more heat absorption and further melting.
What is the effect of introducing invasive species?
Decline or extinction of native species and ecosystem imbalance.
What is the effect of removing vegetation?
Increased soil erosion and decreased habitat for herbivores.
What is the effect of increased greenhouse gas emissions?
Increased global temperatures and climate change.
What is the effect of deforestation?
Loss of habitat, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and soil erosion.
What is the effect of overfishing?
Decline in fish populations, disruption of marine food webs, and economic impacts on fishing communities.
What is the effect of fertilizer runoff?
Eutrophication of water bodies, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion.
What is the effect of pesticide use?
Harm to non-target species, development of pesticide resistance, and contamination of water and soil.
What is the effect of urbanization?
Habitat loss, increased pollution, and altered water cycles.
What is a food chain?
A linear path of energy transfer in an ecosystem.
What is a food web?
A complex network of interconnected food chains.
Define producers.
Organisms that make their own food via photosynthesis.
Define primary consumers.
Herbivores that eat producers.
Define secondary consumers.
Carnivores that eat herbivores.
What is a trophic cascade?
A ripple effect in an ecosystem triggered by a change at the top of the food web.
Define negative feedback loop.
A loop that helps maintain stability by counteracting change.
Define positive feedback loop.
A loop that amplifies change, leading to instability.
What are invasive species?
Non-native species that cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health.
Define apex predator.
A predator at the top of a food web, with no natural predators of its own.