1. what is meant by the term ecological niche? describe the ecological niche of humans and of three other species. 2. explain the differences between food chains and food webs. 3. describe some possible impacts of adding or removing a species from an ecosystem. 4. as you go up from one trophic level to the next, the amount of available energy decreases. explain where the energy has gone. 5. what trophic level contains the greatest biomass in most ecosystems? explain why this occurs. 6. what trophic levels are occupied by carnivores? provide examples. 7. bison, zebra, and kangaroos are three large mammals. explain why they have similar ecological niches but cannot be shown in the same food web.

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Accepted Answer

### 1.
# Brief Explanations:
An ecological niche refers to the role and position a species has in its environment, including what it eats, how it obtains food, and its interactions with other species. For humans, our niche includes being omnivores, using tools to obtain resources, and altering the environment. For example, a panda's niche is being a herbivore that mainly eats bamboo in mountain - forest habitats. A lion is a carnivore at the top of the food chain in savanna ecosystems. A bee's niche is pollinating plants while gathering nectar for food.
# Answer:
An ecological niche is the role and position of a species in its environment. Human niche: omnivores, tool - users, environment - modifiers. Panda: herbivore, bamboo - eater in mountain forests. Lion: carnivore at the top of savanna food chains. Bee: pollinator and nectar - gatherer.

### 2.
# Brief Explanations:
A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where each is eaten by the next one in the chain. A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains. In a food chain, energy and nutrients flow in a single, straight line. In a food web, there are multiple feeding relationships and energy flow pathways as organisms can eat and be eaten by multiple other species.
# Answer:
Food chains are linear sequences of organisms with one - way energy flow. Food webs are complex networks of interconnected food chains with multiple energy flow pathways.

### 3.
# Brief Explanations:
Adding a species can disrupt the existing balance. It may compete with native species for resources, predate on them, or introduce new diseases. Removing a species can cause a trophic cascade. For example, if a top - predator is removed, its prey may overpopulate, which can then over - consume their own food sources, affecting the entire ecosystem.
# Answer:
Adding a species can cause competition, predation, or disease introduction. Removing a species can cause trophic cascades and disrupt the ecosystem balance.

### 4.
# Brief Explanations:
As energy moves up trophic levels, most of it is lost as heat during metabolic processes like respiration. Organisms use energy for activities such as movement, growth, and reproduction, and this energy is dissipated as heat. Only about 10 - 20% of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level.
# Answer:
Most of the energy is lost as heat during metabolic processes like respiration in organisms at each trophic level. Only 10 - 20% of energy is transferred to the next level.

### 5.
# Brief Explanations:
The producer level (usually plants) contains the greatest biomass in most ecosystems. This is because they are the base of the energy pyramid and capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis. They convert solar energy into chemical energy, and this energy supports all higher trophic levels. Since energy transfer between trophic levels is inefficient, a large amount of biomass at the producer level is needed to support the energy requirements of higher levels.
# Answer:
The producer level contains the greatest biomass. This is because they are the energy - capturing base of the ecosystem and energy transfer between trophic levels is inefficient.

### 6.
# Brief Explanations:
Carnivores can occupy different trophic levels. Secondary consumers are carnivores that eat herbivores (e.g., a fox eating a rabbit). Tertiary consumers are carnivores that eat other carnivores (e.g., a hawk eating a snake that ate a mouse).
# Answer:
Carnivores can be secondary consumers (e.g., fox eating rabbit) and tertiary consumers (e.g., hawk eating snake).

### 7.
# Brief Explanations:
Bison, zebra, and kangaroos have similar ecological niches as large herbivores that graze on grasses. However, they cannot be shown in the same food web because they live in different geographical regions. Bison are in North American grasslands, zebras in African savannas, and kangaroos in Australian grasslands.
# Answer:
They have similar niches as large herbivores but live in different geographical regions (Bison in North America, Zebra in Africa, Kangaroo in Australia), so they cannot be in the same food web.

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