Name
Environmental Science and the Earth
Environmental Science: How Ecosystems Work
Life Depends on the Sun
RED FONT PLEASE
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The ultimate source of energy for almost all living things is the ______________.
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Energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when a plant uses sunlight to make sugar
molecules in a process called ________________________________.
Photosynthesis
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________________, _________________, and ______________________________
capture solar energy and use it to drive a series of photo-chemical reactions that
convert carbon dioxide and water into ______________________________________.
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When an animal eats a plant, some energy is transferred from the plant to the animal.
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This energy is used to ______________, _______________, and _________________.
In the space below, copy the chemical equation for photosynthesis:
Autotrophs
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Plants and other organisms that undergo photosynthesis are known as _____________.
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Producers have chloroplasts (tiny organelles within the cell) which are the site of
photosynthesis)
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The green pigment ____________________________ is responsible for photosynthesis.
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Autotrophs are also known as _________________________.
Transfer of Energy
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When a rabbit eats a clover plant, the rabbit gets energy from the
______________________ (glucose) the clover plant made through photosynthesis.
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When a coyote eats a rabbit, some of the energy is transferred from the rabbit to the
coyote.
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Rabbits and Coyotes are ____________________ – also called ____________________.
What Eats What?
Autotroph –
Heterotroph -
Types of Autotrophs in an Ecosystem
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________________________ – eat autotrophs.
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________________________ – eat other consumers.
Types of Hetrotrophs in an Ecosystem
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________________________ – eat both producers and consumers.
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________________________ – breaks down dead organisms in an ecosystem and returns
nutrients to the soil, water, and air.
Energy Transfer
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Each time an organism eats another organism, a transfer of energy occurs.
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We can trace the flow of energy as it travels through an ecosystem by studying
______________________, ____________________, and ________________________.
Food Chains and Food Webs
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A ___________________________ follows the flow of energy
_________________________________________________ as each organism eats another
organism.
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A ______________________ includes ____________________________________
interconnected within an ecosystem.
Trophic Levels
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Each step through which energy is transferred in a food chain is known as a
_________________________________.
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Each time energy flows into the next trophic level, some is lost and
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_______________________________________________________________________.
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Only about ______________ of energy transferred is available to the next trophic level.
Energy Pyramids
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One way to visualize the loss of energy at each trophic level is to draw an
_________________________________.
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