Worksheet 8

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. Biotic- world of living organisms, can regenerate,renew themselves. Abiotic- world of non-living element , cannot regenerate,renew themselves. The difference of heterotrophs and autotrophs is that the autotrophs can make their own food while heterotrophs consume their food. Heterotrophs can be herbivorous, omnivorous, or carnivorous. A niche is really every aspect of a species. Its place in the ecosystem, both trophic, geographic, in terms of habitat, its diet, its breeding habits, what eats it The ultimate source of energy in our ecosystem is the sun. When it comes to plants the chloroplasts capture sunlight and use it as an energy source to create ATPs which in turn is used to make organic molecules like sugar. The energy stored in molecules is passed from one trophic level to the next in stages in the food chain.The ultimate fate of energy in ecosystems is for it to be lost as heat, the rest of the energy and nutrients are passed from organism to organism through the food chain as one organism eats another. (sun-plant-cow-human...etc) Decomposers remove the last energy from the remains of organisms. Inorganic nutrients are cycled back into the ecosystem. They work there way through the food chain starting with the producers and ending with the predators. Trophic relationships can be represented as a food web or as a food chain. A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community. Animals and plants at the lower levels use up part of the energy for their own maintenance. They can't store 100% of the energy they consume in their tissues. Biogeochemical Cycles are important because they are necessary for our existence and environment. Evaporation. The sun heats water in rivers, lakes, and the ocean and turns it