♻️ Cycling Matter: Energy and Nutrients
Explore how energy flows through ecosystems in one direction and how matter cycles continuously through food chains, decomposition, and natural cycles. Learn why the sun is the ultimate energy source, how decomposers return nutrients to soil, and trace the paths of water, carbon, and essential nutrients through living and non-living systems. **What you'll learn:** - Energy flows one way through ecosystems (sun → producers → consumers → decomposers) - Matter cycles repeatedly through ecosystems via decomposers and biogeochemical cycles - The roles of water cycle, carbon cycle, and nutrient cycling in ecosystems - Why decomposers are essential for returning matter to the soil
Questions in this quiz
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- Question 1
In an ecosystem food chain, where does energy FIRST enter the system?
- Question 2
Which statement best describes the difference between how energy and matter move through an ecosystem?
- Question 3
True or false: Decomposers break down dead organisms and return nutrients back to the soil so plants can use them again.
- Question 4
What would happen to an ecosystem if decomposers were suddenly removed?
- Question 5
In the water cycle, which process returns water vapor to the atmosphere?
- Question 6
Which organisms are producers in a typical pond ecosystem food chain?
- Question 7
True or false: Energy can be recycled and used over and over again in the same way matter cycles through ecosystems.
- Question 8
Which role do consumers play in a food chain?
- Question 9
In the carbon cycle, which process releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere?
- Question 10
How much of the energy taken in by a consumer is typically available to pass on to the next level in the food chain?
- Question 11
True or false: Plants get all the nutrients they need only from sunlight and do not require nutrients from the soil.
- Question 12
Which organisms are responsible for beginning the decomposition of a dead tree in a forest?
- Question 13
In a simple food chain: grass → rabbit → fox, which organism receives the LEAST amount of energy?
- Question 14
True or false: The nutrient cycle is the process by which water and carbon move between living organisms and the non-living environment.
- Question 15
Which of the following best explains why decomposers are as important as producers in an ecosystem?
- Question 16
When a plant undergoes photosynthesis, what is being captured and converted into chemical energy stored in the plant?