Ecology Vocabulary

Question 1

In a desert ecosystem, a cactus makes its own food, a beetle eats the cactus, and a hawk eats the beetle. Which sentence correctly uses the words producer, consumer, predator, and prey to describe how energy moves through this food chain?

Accepted Answer

The cactus is the producer; the beetle is the consumer and prey; the hawk is the predator.

Answer

The beetle is the producer; the cactus is the consumer and prey; the hawk is the predator.

Answer

The cactus is the producer; the hawk is the consumer and prey; the beetle is the predator.

Answer

The cactus is the producer; the beetle is the predator; the hawk is the consumer and prey.

Question 2

Which of the following lines places the terms producer, consumer, prey, and predator in the correct order for a simple pond food chain?

Accepted Answer

Algae (producer) → Grasshopper (consumer) → Frog (prey) → Snake (predator)

Answer

Algae (producer) → Grasshopper (consumer) → Snake (prey) → Frog (predator)

Answer

Algae (producer) → Frog (prey) → Snake (predator)

Answer

Algae (producer) → Snake (predator) → Grasshopper (consumer) → Frog (prey)

Question 3

A strawberry leaf falls onto the forest floor and begins to break down. Which statement best explains what decomposers do and why it matters?

Accepted Answer

Decomposers such as fungi and bacteria break down the leaf, releasing nutrients into the soil that plants can use to grow.

Answer

Decomposers eat the leaf and keep the nutrients inside their bodies, so the nutrients are not available to any other organisms.

Answer

Decomposers turn dead leaves into new insects that become food for birds.

Answer

Decomposers are top predators that hunt herbivores to keep the ecosystem balanced.

Try three questions

In a desert ecosystem, a cactus makes its own food, a beetle eats the cactus, and a hawk eats the beetle. Which sentence correctly uses the words producer, consumer, predator, and prey to describe how energy moves through this food chain?

Which of the following lines places the terms producer, consumer, prey, and predator in the correct order for a simple pond food chain?

A strawberry leaf falls onto the forest floor and begins to break down. Which statement best explains what decomposers do and why it matters?

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