Question

use the following diagram to answer questions 11 - 12.
food web diagram

1. how do food webs show the flow of energy?

a. some energy is stored in the consuming organism and some energy is stored in another organism.
b. all energy is stored within the consuming organism.
c. some energy is stored in the consuming organism and some energy is given off as heat.
d. all energy is given off as heat from the consuming organism.

1. which of the following organisms would have higher biomass?

a. wolf
b. squirrel
c. caterpillar
d. grass

1. if a keystone species is removed from an ecosystem...

a. abiotic and biotic factors can be affected.
b. only biotic factors can be affected.
c. only abiotic factors can be affected.
d. neither abiotic nor biotic factors can be affected.

1. a bird making a nest in a tree is an example of what type of symbiotic relationship?

a. parasitism
b. mutualism
c. commensalism
d. predation

1. flies eat rotting meat, they are...

a. detritivores
b. scavengers
c. producers
d. predators

Explanation:

• Question 11: In a food web, energy transfer follows the 10% - 90% rule (some energy is stored in the consuming organism, and some is lost as heat). Option a is incorrect as it mentions energy being stored in another organism (not the rule). Option b (all energy stored) and d (all energy given off as heat) are wrong. Option c aligns with energy transfer principles.
• Question 12: Biomass decreases as we move up the trophic levels. Grass is a producer (at the base of the food web), while wolf (top - level consumer), squirrel (primary/secondary consumer), and caterpillar (primary consumer) are at higher trophic levels. Producers have the highest biomass.
• Question 13: A keystone species has a disproportionately large effect on its environment. Removing it affects both biotic (other living organisms) and abiotic (non - living factors like soil, water quality which can be altered due to changes in the ecosystem structure) factors.
• Question 14: In commensalism, one organism benefits (bird gets a nest) and the other (tree) is neither significantly helped nor harmed. Parasitism (one harms the other), mutualism (both benefit), and predation (one eats the other) do not fit this relationship.
• Question 15: Detritivores (like flies) consume detritus (rotting organic matter). Scavengers usually eat larger dead animals (e.g., vultures on a dead deer). Producers make their own food (e.g., plants via photosynthesis), and predators kill and eat other organisms (e.g., lions eating zebras).

Answer:

1. c. Some energy is stored in the consuming organism and some energy is given off as heat.
2. d. Grass
3. a. Abiotic and biotic factors can be affected.
4. c. Commensalism
5. a. Detritivores