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Ecosystem Q&A (Final)

(1) The document is a set of questions and answers about ecosystems and food webs. (2) It defines an ecosystem as a natural unit of living and non-living parts that interact to form a stable system, and a habitat as the physical place where plants and animals live. (3) One question asks about why there are seldom more than 3-4 trophic levels in a food chain, and the answer explains that most energy is lost at each trophic level so there is not enough left to support more than 4 levels.

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198 views4 pages

Ecosystem Q&A (Final)

(1) The document is a set of questions and answers about ecosystems and food webs. (2) It defines an ecosystem as a natural unit of living and non-living parts that interact to form a stable system, and a habitat as the physical place where plants and animals live. (3) One question asks about why there are seldom more than 3-4 trophic levels in a food chain, and the answer explains that most energy is lost at each trophic level so there is not enough left to support more than 4 levels.

Uploaded by

api-3712188
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Group 2

Candy Kwok 5B(11),Samantha Li 5B(20),Gloria Ko 5D(6),Katherine Ng 5D(19)

Questions

(a) Explain the terms ecosystem and habitat. (2 marks)

(b) (i) With this food web, draw a food chain that has 4 trophic levels.
(1 mark)
(ii) Construct a pyramid of biomass for this food chain. (2
marks)
(iii) Explain the shape of the pyramid of biomass. (4
marks)

(c) Why are there seldom more than 3 or 4 trophic levels in a food
chain? (2 marks)

(d) (i) Name the type of ecological relationship between the


predaceous insects and the birds. (1 mark)
(1 mark)
(ii) Explain the immediate effect on the number of grasshoppers
if most birds have migrated and insects have fled away.
(5 marks)

(e) An important group of organisms is not shown in the diagram.


(i) What are these organisms? (1
mark)
(ii) What would be the consequence if they wee absent in the
ecosystem? (5 marks)
Answers
(a) Ecosystem is a natural unit of living and non-living parts
which interact to form a
stable and self-supporting system. (1)
Habitat is the place with a particular set of physical factors in
which plants and animals live.
(1)

(b) (i) Plants  grasshoppers  birds  hawk (1)

(ii)
Hawk

Birds
Grasshoppers

Plants

correct shape (1) Correct Names (1)

b(iii) Energy is lost along the food chain because some energy is
used in the respiration
of the organism, and some food is lost in excretion or due to
incomplete digestion of food. Thus, the biomass decreases
along the food chain.
(1 + 1 + 1 + 1)

(c) Most energy is lost in each trophic level. After 4 trophic


levels, there is usually not
enough energy left to support the activities of the organisms
in
the
fifth
trop
hic
level
.
(2)

(d) (i) Competition. (1)

(ii) The grasshoppers will increase in number because there are


fewer birds and insects feeding on them. (2) They also have
more food because there are (1) fewer birds feeding on the
plants. (1) Their birth rate will be higher than the death rate.
(1)

(e) They are bacteria and fungi.


(1/2+1/2)
The dead bodies of the organisms and their excreta will
accumulate in
the ecosystem because they cannot be decomposed. (1
+ 1) Moreover the recycling of nutrients will be
affected because the mineral salts in soil
cannot be properly replenished.
(1)
The growth of the green plants will be severely affected
(1)
That will affect the supply of food to all the consumers in the
ecosystem. (1)

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