Answers

Explanations

1. A producer gets energy from the Sun and converts it into food.

2. Decomposers break down matter from dead organisms into simpler substances that can be recycled in ecosystems. Fungi and bacteria are examples of decomposers.

Without decomposers, ecosystems would not be able to efficiently get rid of waste material nor would they be able to restore essential nutrients (e.g., carbon and nitrogen) to the soil, so the nutrients can be used by plants.

3. Decomposers are important because when they break down dead matter, they restore essential nutrients to the ecosystem which are used by plants to make food. Nitrogen, magnesium, and phosphorus are examples of nutrients that are released by decomposers. Without decomposers, many plants would likely die due to a shortage of these nutrients. Also, decomposers keep dead matter from "piling up" in the ecosystem.

4. According to the laws of conservation of matter and energy, the total amount of matter and energy always remains the same.

These laws still hold true, even as matter and energy change forms and cycle through an ecosystem.

5. The matter that organisms need to grow and survive comes from the food they eat. The birds in the food web consume carnivorous insects and worms. This means that the birds make beta-keratin from the matter in the insects' and worms' bodies.

6. A food web is a model that can be used to better understand the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Arrows in a food web start at a food source and end with the consumer.

So, in the food web shown in the question, the wheat is consumed by the grasshopper, the grasshopper is consumed by the frog, and the frog is consumed by the snake.

7. Matter contained within the Earth system can be transferred from one living organism to another and between living organisms and their physical environment.

An example of matter moving from one organism to another is a deer consuming a plant. The matter contained within the plant is now incorporated into the body system of the deer. Matter can also move in both directions between organisms and their enviroment. For example, gases travel in both directions between plants and the atmosphere.

8. Decomposers are organisms that break down matter from dead plants and animals.

Some decomposers, like bacteria, are microscopic. Others, like earthworms and fungi, are visible to the human eye.

Decomposers are important because when they break down dead matter, they restore essential nutrients to the ecosystem. These nutrients are used by plants to make food. Also, decomposers keep dead matter from piling up in the ecosystem.

9. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

10. Decayed matter refers to dead plants and animals. Decayed matter is broken down by decomposers.

11. A decomposer is an organism that obtains nutrients by breaking down the remains of other organisms (after they die). This process is called decay. In this food web, the earthworm and bacteria are decomposers.

Decomposers are very important in ecosystems. By breaking down matter from dead organisms, they serve to "clean" the environment and replenish the food web with basic nutrients that plants can use to produce food.

12. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

13. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

14. A consumer is an organism that gets its energy from eating other organisms or their products, including plants and animals.

In the food web, the mouse, fox, and owl are all consumers because they all get energy from eating another organism.

The mouse eats the grass. The fox and the owl eat the mouse. The grass is a producer because it gets its energy from the Sun.

15. Energy is a basic need of all living things.

Animals can be classified by how they obtain energy. Animals that eat plants are called herbivores. Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores.

16. Decomposers are important because when they break down dead matter, they restore essential nutrients to the ecosystem which are used by plants to make food. Nitrogen, magnesium, and phosphorus are examples of nutrients that are released by decomposers. Without decomposers, many plants would likely die due to a shortage of these nutrients. Also, decomposers keep dead matter from "piling up" in the ecosystem.

17. In an ecosystem, matter moves among and between organisms and the physical environment. The matter that made up a plant's leaf might one day be used to make up an animal's heart. This matter does not leave the ecosystem; it cycles through it.

From the food web, dead plant material is consumed by fungi, worms, and bacteria. So a bit of dead plant matter could become a part of a structure in any of these organisms.

18. A food web is a model that can be used to better understand the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Arrows in a food web start at a food source and end with the consumer.

So, in the food web shown in the question, the wheat is consumed by the grasshopper, the grasshopper is consumed by the frog, and the frog is consumed by the snake.

19. A consumer is an organism that gets its energy from eating other organisms or their products, including plants and animals.

In the food web, the mouse, fox, and owl are all consumers because they all get energy from eating another organism.

The mouse eats the grass. The fox and the owl eat the mouse. The grass is a producer because it gets its energy from the Sun.

20. A food web is a model that can be used to better understand the feeding relationships and energy flow between organisms in an ecosystem. Arrows in a food web start at a food source and end with the consumer. Energy flows in the direction of the arrow.

According to the food web in the question, energy flows from producers and consumers to decomposers. Decomposers break down matter from dead producers into simple substances that can be reused by producers.

21. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

22. The grass is a producer. A producer converts energy from the Sun to make food and provides the rest of the food web with energy.

23. The matter that organisms need to grow and survive comes from the food they eat. The birds in the food web consume carnivorous insects and worms. This means that the birds make beta-keratin from the matter in the insects' and worms' bodies.

24. Matter and energy can change forms and locations in ecosystems.

In the given information, light energy changed into chemical energy and then into kinetic energy, and sugar changed into proteins and fats as it moved from the Sun to the plant and then to other organisms.

It is important to note that although matter and energy can change forms and locations in an ecosystem, the total amount of matter and energy must always remain the same according to the laws of conservation of matter and energy.

25. The Sun is the ultimate source of energy for all of the organisms in an ecosystem.

Energy flows from the Sun through producers (organisms that use sunlight to make their own food) to consumers (organisms that eat other organisms to get food).

Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, break down matter from dead organisms into simpler substances that can be reused by producers. Decomposers recycle matter in an ecosystem.

26. In the food web, the crustacean is a prey species that is eaten by the dolphin. The dolphin is a predator of the crustacean.

Energy is transferred from the crustacean to the dolphin.

27. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

28. A producer is an organism that makes its own food. Producers serve as the source of food for consumers, which are organisms that cannot produce their own food. Most producers are plants, but certain types of bacteria are also producers.

29. In a food web, arrows are drawn to show the flow of energy. Because an arrow is drawn from "sunlight" to "bacteria," this mean that the bacteria are using sunlight to make food. Therefore, the bacteria are producers. Certain types of bacteria can, in fact, carry out photosynthesis.

30. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

31. Energy in ecosystems usually flows from the Sun through producers to consumers.

Green plants are examples of producers. These types of producers are able to use energy from the Sun to produce food through a process known as photosynthesis. Consumers get energy by eating producers and/or other consumers.

32. In a food web, there are many different categories of organisms. Categories of organisms include producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers.

Producers capture light energy from the Sun and use it to produce food, or chemical energy, through the process of photosynthesis. Berries, algae, and grass are producers in this food web.

Primary consumers are organisms that consume producers to get energy. Secondary consumers are organisms that consume primary consumers in order to get energy. Coyotes, grizzly bears, and trout are examples of consumers.

33. In an ecosystem, matter moves among and between organisms and the physical environment. The matter that made up a plant's leaf might one day be used to make up an animal's heart. This matter does not leave the ecosystem; it cycles through it.

From the food web, dead plant material is consumed by fungi, worms, and bacteria. So a bit of dead plant matter could become a part of a structure in any of these organisms.

34. In the food web, the algae is a producer that is eaten by the crustacean. The crustacean is a consumer that feeds on algae.

Energy is transferred from the algae to the crustacean.

35. A food web is a model that can be used to better understand the feeding relationships and energy flow between organisms in an ecosystem. Arrows in a food web start at a food source and end with the consumer. Energy flows in the direction of the arrow.

According to the food web shown in the question, energy could flow in the following direction:

flower → butterfly → bird → snake

All of the other answer choices include one incorrect pathway (i.e., energy does not flow from a coyote to a snake, from a frog to a hawk, or from bird to a dragonfly).