Name Different Types of Consumers

Hour ___________

Date

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Types of Heterotrophs Type Herbivore Heterotroph that eats animals. Omnivore Detritivore humans, bears, pigs Definition Examples cows, rabbits

Decomposer Heterotroph that consumes the carcasses of dead animals but does not typically kill them itself. Specialist

Generalist

1. How would you categorize a consumer that usually catches and eats prey, but also eats dead animal carcasses? 2. Fill in the blank with the correct term from below. carnivore generalist a. b. c. d. e. specialist decomposer herbivore detritivore omnivore

An organism that eats only plants is a(n) _________________. An organism that eats only animals is a(n) ________________. An organism that eats both plants and animals is a(n) ________________. An organism that eats dead organic matter is a(n) _________________. An organism that breaks down organic matter into simpler compounds is a(n)___________________. f. An organism that eats primarily one species is a(n) __________________. g. An organism that has a varied diet is a(n) _____________________.

Circle the letter of the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. 3. The first consumer above the producer in a food chain is called an herbivore, or a ___________. a. tertiary consumer c. primary consumer b. secondary consumer d. detritivore 4. In a food chain, the consumer that eats an herbivore is called a ___________. a. tertiary consumer c. primary consumer b. secondary consumer d. detritivore 5. In a food chain, a consumer that eats a carnivore is called a ___________. a. tertiary consumer c. primary consumer b. secondary consumer d. detritivore 6. How are consumers dependent on the Sun? Explain in complete sentences.

7. Only a small percentage of all consumers are specialists. What danger does a specialist face that a generalist does not?

Primary Producers 8. Can some organisms survive without energy from the sun? Explain your answer.

9. Can organisms create their own energy? Explain your answer.

10. What would happen to a forest ecosystem if a fire killed most of its producers?

11. What is the difference between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis?

12. What is the difference between a producer and a consumer?

13. Why do all ecosystems depend on producers?

Food Chains Term food chain Definition Example

trophic level

14. What is the connection between food chains and trophic levels?

15. Why are food chains especially useful for describing the relationships of specialists?

16. An acorn is eaten by a squirrel, which is eaten by an owl. What model best describes this simple relationship, and how does it show the energy flow?

17. Look at the following food chain. Seaweed Sea Snail Starfish Cod (Fish)

a) Which organisms are carnivores? b) What organism is at trophic level 3? c) What is the producer? d) Name the herbivore. e) Name an organism that eats starfish. f) Where does the energy in this food chain come from?

18. Write your own food chain with humans at the top.

19. Here is another food chain. Oak tree Greenfly Ladybug Blue Tit (Bird) Hawk

a) Name a carnivore. b) Name a herbivore. c) Which organism is at trophic level 5? d) Name the producer. e) Name the secondary consumer.

20. All the life in a pond depends on microscopic plants called algae making food by photosynthesis. Small animals like mosquito larvae then eat the algae. Bigger animals like sticklebacks (fish) then eat the mosquito larvae, and these sticklebacks are eaten by even bigger fish like perch. a) Draw the food chain that is described above.

b) What is the producer in this food chain? c) What is the primary consumer? d) What would happen to the mosquito larvae if someone put weed killer in the pond and killed all the algae?

e) What would happen to the number of sticklebacks if all the perch died of a disease?

f) Some pike (fish) are introduced into the pond. They eat perch. Add them to your food chain.

g) Explain what will happen to the number of perch and sticklebacks when the pike are introduced a. Perch.

b. Sticklebacks.