AP BIOLOGY

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ECOLOGY

ENERGY FLOW AND THE FOOD CHAIN

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
If the mosquito population in an ecosystem suddenly decreased, then the spider population would be affected because they would not have enough prey, and then the birds that eat spiders would be affected and so on. This is an example of ____
A
interdependence
B
food web
C
Angry Birds
D
Skinny Spiders
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -A food chain describes how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. At the basic level there are plants that produce the energy, then it moves up to higher-level organisms like herbivores. After that when carnivores eat the herbivores, energy is transferred from one to the other.

Detailed explanation-2: -Herbivores and detritivores (primary consumers) take in less available energy because they are limited by the biomass of the plants they devour.

Detailed explanation-3: -If the herbivores and carnivores were removed, there would be changes to the biodiversity of the producers, but they would still survive. The food chain would be limited to these producers and decomposers, which break down dead organisms. The food chain would be intact, but would be mainly made of producers.

Detailed explanation-4: -If an organism is removed from the food chain, it spoils the flow of energy and nutrient in the ecosystem. It disrupts the balance of the food chain. As a result, the organisms which depend on others for food will die due to starvation.

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