AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Basal species occupy the lowest trophic level as primary producer. They convert inorganic chemical and use solar energy to generate chemical energy. The second trophic level consists of herbivores. These are first consumers.

Detailed explanation-2: -The source of all energy in most ecosystems is the sun. This energy arrives in the form of sunlight, which is captured by organisms called producers. One example of a producer is a plant.

Detailed explanation-3: -Land plants, or autotrophs, are terrestrial primary producers: organisms that manufacture, through photosynthesis, new organic molecules such as carbohydrates and lipids from raw inorganic materials (CO2, water, mineral nutrients).

Detailed explanation-4: -The vast majority of energy in food webs originates from the sun. Energy is not recycled in ecosystems and each ecosystem requires a continuous input of energy to sustain it.

Detailed explanation-5: -Within every ecosystem, organisms interact to move energy around in predictable ways. These interactions can be represented by what scientists call a trophic pyramid. Primary producers-plants, algae, and bacteria-make up the base of the pyramid, the first trophic level.