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Quizzes > Science

Sea urchin decomposer or consumer? Food web quiz

Quick, free test of your sea urchin food web knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Penelope GarciaUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art style illustration of plants insects birds fish and decomposers linked in a food web on a sky blue background

This quiz helps you figure out whether a sea urchin is a producer, consumer, or decomposer, and how it fits in a real food web. Build skills on trophic roles, energy flow, and predator-prey links, then try our food web quiz and a focused producers consumers decomposers quiz. For extra practice, explore a wider food webs quiz.

What is the primary source of energy for most food webs?
Ocean currents
Soil nutrients
Wind energy
The Sun
Most ecosystems rely on sunlight as their ultimate energy source, captured by producers through photosynthesis. Plants and other autotrophs convert solar energy into chemical energy, which then moves through the food web. Without sunlight, producers cannot generate the biomass needed to support consumers and decomposers. .
Which of the following organisms is a producer in a typical aquatic ecosystem?
Freshwater shrimp
Catfish
Phytoplankton
Blue crab
Phytoplankton are microscopic photosynthetic organisms that produce organic matter from sunlight and nutrients. They form the base of most aquatic food webs, supporting a wide range of consumers. Without phytoplankton, higher trophic levels would lack the energy they need to survive. .
What do herbivores primarily consume?
Dead organic matter
Plants
Sunlight directly
Other animals
Herbivores are organisms that feed directly on plants or other photosynthetic producers. They obtain energy by breaking down plant tissue, which contains stored chemical energy. This energy is then transferred to higher trophic levels when herbivores are consumed by carnivores. .
Which term describes animals that eat both plants and other animals?
Detritivores
Carnivores
Herbivores
Omnivores
Omnivores have a mixed diet and can digest both plant and animal matter. This dietary flexibility allows them to occupy multiple trophic levels within a food web. Examples include bears, humans, and many bird species. .
What is the correct order of trophic levels from lowest to highest?
Secondary consumers ? Producers ? Primary consumers ? Tertiary consumers
Producers ? Primary consumers ? Secondary consumers ? Tertiary consumers
Producers ? Secondary consumers ? Primary consumers ? Tertiary consumers
Primary consumers ? Producers ? Secondary consumers ? Tertiary consumers
Trophic levels represent steps in the flow of energy: producers capture sunlight, primary consumers eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, and tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers. Energy decreases at each step due to metabolic losses. This hierarchy shapes the structure of food webs. .
Approximately what percentage of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next?
50%
90%
10%
1%
The 10% rule states that only about 10% of the chemical energy in one trophic level is converted into biomass at the next level. The rest is lost through metabolism, heat, and waste. This limits the number of trophic levels an ecosystem can support. .
Which group of organisms is primarily responsible for breaking down dead organic matter?
Primary consumers
Producers
Decomposers (bacteria and fungi)
Tertiary consumers
Decomposers such as bacteria and fungi secrete enzymes to break down dead plants and animals, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. They complete the nutrient cycle by converting organic matter into inorganic forms usable by producers. Without decomposers, ecosystems would accumulate waste and nutrients would be locked away. .
In a pond ecosystem, which organism most likely functions as a secondary consumer?
Frog
Zooplankton
Algae
Aquatic plants
Frogs often eat insects and other invertebrates (primary consumers), placing them at the secondary consumer level. Algae and aquatic plants are producers, and zooplankton are primary consumers that feed on phytoplankton. Predatory fish feeding on frogs would be tertiary consumers. .
How does deforestation most directly affect food web complexity?
It increases complexity by creating new niches
It only affects decomposer populations
It reduces complexity by removing species and habitat
It has no effect on complexity
Deforestation removes habitat and resources, leading to local extinctions and fewer species interactions. This simplifies food webs by eliminating nodes and links. Reduced complexity can lower ecosystem stability and resilience. .
What term describes a species whose removal causes significant changes to the structure of a food web?
Endemic species
Invasive species
Keystone species
Indicator species
Keystone species play a critical role in maintaining the structure and balance of an ecosystem. Their impact is disproportionate to their abundance, and their removal can trigger trophic cascades. Many predators and ecosystem engineers fall into this category. .
In a five-level food chain where primary producers generate 10,000 kcal, how much energy is available to tertiary consumers assuming 10% transfer efficiency?
5,000 kcal
1,000 kcal
100 kcal
10 kcal
Applying the 10% rule: producers (10,000 kcal) ? primary consumers (1,000 kcal) ? secondary consumers (100 kcal) ? tertiary consumers (10 kcal). Each trophic transfer retains only about 10% of energy. This limits energy available at higher levels. .
How do keystone species influence trophic cascades in complex ecosystems?
By decomposing organic matter faster than other species
By storing more energy in biomass than other species
By regulating multiple trophic levels through strong top-down control
By increasing the rate of primary production directly
Keystone species often exert strong top-down control on an ecosystem, influencing population sizes of prey and competing species. Their presence or removal can trigger trophic cascades that reshape community structure and resource availability. These effects are critical in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function. .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Food Web Structures -

    Explain roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in various ecosystems, building your foundation for the food web quiz.

  2. Analyze Energy Flow Dynamics -

    Trace how solar energy captured by photosynthesis moves through trophic levels, enhancing performance on our ecology food web quiz.

  3. Identify Decomposer Functions -

    Recognize how decomposers recycle nutrients, maintaining ecological balance and supporting advanced food web trivia questions.

  4. Apply Food Chain Quiz Strategies -

    Solve sample scenarios to predict predator - prey relationships and improve your score on the food chain quiz.

  5. Evaluate Ecosystem Stability -

    Assess factors that disrupt ecological balance and learn to predict outcomes in complex food webs.

  6. Recall Bill Nye Food Webs Quiz Insights -

    Leverage key lessons from Bill Nye food webs quiz to answer challenging ecology questions with confidence.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Trophic Levels & the 10% Rule -

    Energy transfer between trophic levels follows the 10% rule: only about 10% of energy is passed to the next level, while the rest is lost as heat (based on University of California research). This explains why most food webs cap at around four or five trophic levels. Mnemonic: "10 in 100, to level up."

  2. Primary Producers & Photosynthesis -

    Primary producers like plants and algae convert sunlight into chemical energy via photosynthesis: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₝₂O₆ + 6O₂ (per NASA's biology overview). They form the base of every food web, fueling all other trophic levels. Remember "CO₂ in, O₂ out" to keep it simple.

  3. Consumer Categories -

    Consumers are classified as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores based on their diets (Smithsonian Institution). Identifying these helps you map energy flow in any ecology food web quiz. Tip: "Herb Eats Plants, Carn Slays Animals, Omni Does Both."

  4. Decomposers & Nutrient Recycling -

    Decomposers like fungi and bacteria break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil (Environmental Protection Agency). Without them, ecosystems would accumulate waste and stall nutrient cycles. Remember "Decay Delivers Life."

  5. Food Web Stability & Keystone Species -

    Keystone species have a disproportionate effect on ecosystem balance; their loss can cause cascading collapses (Journal of Ecology). For instance, sea otters keep kelp forests healthy by controlling sea urchin populations. Mnemonic: "Key Species, Key Stability."

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