Food Chains, Food Webs & Ecological Pyramids

Flashcards on Food Chains, Food Webs, and Ecological Pyramids

Food Chain

The sequence of organisms through which energy flows in an ecosystem.

Energy Flow

Flow of energy in an ecosystem is a one way process.

Energy Source

Organisms obtain energy from the level below in a food chain.

Producers

Create their own food through photosynthesis.

Consumers

Cannot create their own food; eat plants or other animals.

Primary Producers

Plants.

Primary Consumers

Herbivores.

Secondary Consumers

Carnivores that eat herbivores.

Tertiary Consumers

Carnivores that eat other carnivores.

Quaternary Consumers

Consume tertiary consumers.

Decomposers

Break down dead organic matter.

Grazing Food Chain

Consumers utilizing plants as their food.

Detritus Food Chain

Starts from dead organic matter to micro-organisms to detritus feeders to predators.

Significance of Food Chain

Feeding relationship and interaction between organisms and ecosystem.

Energy Flow

Mechanism of energy flow and circulation of matter in ecosystem.

Toxic Substance

Helps understand movement of toxic substances and biological magnification.

Food Web

Network of interconnected food chains at various tropic levels.

Node

Represents an individual species or a group of related species.

Link

Connects two nodes, arrows point from prey to predator.

Basal Species

Lowest tropic level.

Top Predators

Highest tropic level.

Topological Webs

Indicate a feeding relationship only.

Flow Webs

Include information on the strength of the feeding interaction.

Interaction Web

Arrows show how one group influences another.

Plants role in food Web

Plants are the foundation of all ecosystems, sustaining life.

Ecological Pyramids

Graphical representations of the tropic structure of an ecosystem.

Tropic Levels

Feeding positions in a food chain.

Pyramid of Numbers

Graphic representation of number of individuals per unit area of various tropic levels.

Pyramid of Biomass

Graphical representation of biomass present per unit area at different tropic levels.

Pyramid of Productivity

Graphical representation of the flow of energy through each tropic level over time.

Bioaccumulation

Chemical builds up in the organism over time to a potentially lethal level.

Biomagnification

Higher concentrations of a chemical in organisms at higher levels in the food chain.