Download File - J. Seguin Science

ECOLOGICAL NICHES
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Every species interacts with other species and with
its environment in a unique way.
2.5
Ecological niche
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These interactions define the ecological niche of a
species, or the role of a species within its ecosystem.
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An ecological niche includes what a species feeds on, what eats it, and how it
behaves.
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Consumers can be subdivided depending on what types of organisms they eat.
Food Chains
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2.5
Feeding relationships between species can be represented
using food chains.
food chains
trophic level
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In a food chain, some of the chemical energy from the
producer is passed along from one species to the next.
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Because all organisms continually use and release
energy to their environment, energy is continuously
lost from all levels of the food chain.
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The trophic level describes the position of an
organism along a food chain.
Species can be divided into trophic levels depending on how they obtain their energy.
Food Webs
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Food chains are used as a tool to show simple
feeding relationships.
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A food web is a more accurate, but still
incomplete, way to illustrate feeding relationships.
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Complex food webs are usually more stable
than simple food webs, because species do
not depend on just one source of food.
2.5
food web