A food chain illustrates how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. Each organism in the chain depends on the one before it for food. If a link in the food chain is broken—meaning a species disappears or drastically declines—it can have cascading effects. Organisms that relied on the missing species for food may decline, while the species that the missing organism preyed upon might increase in number, disrupting the balance of the ecosystem.
Understanding these relationships helps us appreciate the importance of biodiversity and conservation efforts. Imagine a forest where all the wolves disappear; the deer population would explode, eating all the plants and impacting other animals that depend on those plants.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Producer | a. An organism that eats other organisms. |
| 2. Consumer | b. An animal that hunts and kills other animals for food. |
| 3. Decomposer | c. An organism that makes its own food using sunlight. |
| 4. Predator | d. An organism that breaks down dead plants and animals. |
| 5. Prey | e. An animal that is hunted and killed by another for food. |
If a _________ disappears from a food chain, the population of its _________ may increase. Organisms that depend on the missing organism for _________ may suffer. This disruption highlights the _________ of each species in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Conservation efforts are _________ to prevent such disruptions.
Describe a real-world example of how the removal of a keystone species (like sea otters) impacted its ecosystem. What were the consequences, and what steps were taken to address the issue?
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