Name ____________________________________ Date __________ Class ___________________
CHAPTER 17
ECOSYSTEMS AND BIOMES
SECTION
17–1
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
(pages 558-565)
This section explains the different roles that organisms play in the movement of energy
through an ecosystem. The section also describes how organisms in the different roles
interact to form food chains and food webs.
What are the Components of an Ecosystem? (pages 558–559)
living
1. The components of an ecosystem are all the
nonliving
and
things that interact in a particular area.
2. Is the following sentence true or false? The organisms in an ecosystem
false
are called abiotic factors.
3. Sunlight and temperature are examples of
abiotic factors
in an
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ecosystem.
Habitat and Niche (page 559)
Match the element of an ecosystem with its definition.
c
4. habitat
a
5. species
b
6. niche
a. A group of similar organisms that can mate
with one another an produce fertile
offspring
b. An organism’s role in an ecosystem
c. The specific environment that provides the
things an organism needs
7. The food a bird eats and the organisms that feed on the bird are parts of
the bird’s
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niche
.
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CHAPTER 17, Ecosystems and Biomes (continued)
Energy Roles
(pages 560–562)
Match the energy role with its definition.
Energy Role
c
8. producer
b
9. consumer
a
Definition
a. Organism that breaks down wastes
and dead organisms
b. Organism that obtains energy by feeding
on other organisms
10. decomposer
c. Organism that can make its own food
11. What types of organisms are producers? Producers include plants,
algae, and certain microorganisms.
12. Is the following sentence true or false? Energy enters all ecosystems as
sunlight.
false
13. Is the following sentence true or false? Producers are the source of all
the food in an ecosystem.
true
14. List two major groups of decomposers.
a. bacteria
b. fungi
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15. Complete the compare/contrast table.
Types of Consumers
Type of Consumer
Type of Food
Herbivore
Only plants
Carnivore
Only animals
Omnivore
Both plants and animals
Scavenger
Dead organisms
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16. Is the following sentence true or false? Decomposers return raw
true
materials to the environment.
Food Chains and Food Webs
(pages 562–564)
17. What is a food chain? A food chain is a series of events in which one
organism eats another and obtains energy.
18. Label the producer and the first-level and second-level consumers in
the food chain.
Second-level
consumer
Kestrel
First-level
consumer
Grass
Mouse
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Producer
19. The many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a(n)
food web
.
20. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about a food web.
a. Producers are at the top of the food web.
b. All first-level consumers are carnivores.
c. Second-level consumers may be carnivores or omnivores.
d. An organism may play more than one role in a food web.
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CHAPTER 17, Ecosystems and Biomes (continued)
Energy Pyramids
(pages 564–565)
21. What does an energy pyramid show? It shows the amount of energy that
moves from one feeding level to another in a food web.
22. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about an energy pyramid.
a. The greatest amount of energy is available at the producer level.
b. At each level of the pyramid, there is more energy available.
c. About half the energy at one level is transferred to the next.
d. Most food webs have only three or four feeding levels.
23. Name the levels in an energy pyramid, starting with the base of the
pyramid.
a. Producers
b. First-level consumers
c. Second-level consumers
d. Third-level consumers
24. Why are there usually few organisms at the top of a food web?
There are usually few organisms at the top because there is a limited
amount of energy available at that level of a food web.
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Reading Skill Practice
Outlining is a way to help yourself understand and remember what you have read. Write an
outline of this section on energy flow in ecosystems. In an outline, copy the headings in the
textbook. Under each heading, write the main idea of that part of the lesson. Then list the details
that support each main idea.
Outlines should be organized under the headings What Are the Components of an
Ecosystem?, Habitat and Niche, Energy Roles, Food Chains and Food Webs, and Energy
Pyramids and include information from pages 558–565.
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