energy transfer

• What does each trophic level represent?

  A specific stage in energy transfer
• What do decomposers do in an ecosystem?

  Break down dead organisms and return nutrients
• What do secondary consumers eat?

  Primary consumers
• What is the formula to calculate the energy transfer between trophic levels?

  Energy transfer = 10% of energy from lower trophic level
• Why are decomposers important for nutrient cycling?

  They maintain nutrient cycling by breaking down matter
• What do tertiary consumers eat?

  Secondary consumers
• How do producers obtain energy?

  By converting sunlight into chemical energy
• What do ecological pyramids represent?

  Energy flow through trophic levels
• Why are producers considered the foundation of the food chain?

  Because they convert light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis
• Describe a simple grassland food chain.

  • Grass (producer)
  • Grasshopper (primary consumer)
  • Bird (secondary consumer)
• How does the structure of ecological pyramids apply to biomass and numbers pyramids?

  The base area shows greatest concentration
• What are producers in an ecosystem?

  Organisms that make their own food
• What is the relationship between grasshoppers and birds in a food chain?

  Grasshoppers are consumed by birds
• In a grassland food chain, what is the relationship between grass and grasshoppers?

  Grass is eaten by grasshoppers
• Why is higher assimilation efficiency important?

  It reduces energy loss
• Who occupies the first trophic level?

  Producers
• What is the energy transfer efficiency in ecological pyramids?

  About 10%
• What do primary consumers eat?

  Producers
• What is the role of consumers in trophic levels?

  They obtain energy by eating other organisms
• What are the 5 trophic levels shown in the image?

  • Producers
  • Primary consumers
  • Secondary consumers
  • Tertiary consumers
  • Decomposers
• What is the 4th trophic level in the food chain shown in the image?

  Tertiary consumers
• How does energy flow through the different trophic levels?

  • Energy flows from producers to primary consumers
  • Primary consumers are eaten by secondary consumers
  • Secondary consumers are eaten by tertiary consumers
  • Decomposers break down organic matter and recycle nutrients
• What are trophic levels?

  Positions organisms occupy in a food chain
• What are the energy percentages at each trophic level?

  • Primary Producers: 100%
  • Primary Consumers: 10%
  • Secondary Consumers: 1%
  • Tertiary Consumers: 0.1%
• How are consumers categorized in an ecosystem?

  • Herbivores: eat only producers
  • Carnivores: eat other animals
  • Omnivores: eat both plants and animals
• What is the relationship between the different trophic levels in the food chain?

  • Producers are at the 1st trophic level
  • Primary consumers are at the 2nd trophic level
  • Secondary consumers are at the 3rd trophic level
  • Tertiary consumers are at the 4th trophic level
  • Decomposers break down organic matter
• What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

  Break down dead organisms
• What is the first trophic level in the food chain?

  Producers
• Why are decomposers an important part of the food chain?

  They break down organic matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem
• What is the percentage of energy that reaches the Apex Predators?

  0.01%
• If a secondary consumer like a snake eats a primary consumer like a rabbit, where does the energy from the rabbit go?

  The energy is transferred to the snake
• What role do decomposers play in the food chain?

  They break down dead organisms and return nutrients
• What is the 10% rule in energy transfer?

  Only 10% of energy transfers to the next level
• What is the percentage of energy that reaches the Primary Producers?

  100%
• What percentage of the energy is lost as heat?

  Energy Lost As Heat
• How does the energy pyramid illustrate the concept of energy loss in an ecosystem?

  • Each trophic level has progressively less energy available
  • Only 10% of energy is transferred to the next level
  • Most energy is lost as heat at each step
• What are the energy transfer percentages at each trophic level?

  • Primary Producers: 100%
  • Primary Consumers: 10%
  • Secondary Consumers: 1%
  • Tertiary Consumers: 0.1%
• What are the different levels of consumers in the energy pyramid?

  • Primary Producers (100%)
  • Primary Consumers (10%)
  • Secondary Consumers (1%)
  • Third Level Consumers (0.1%)
  • Apex Predators (0.01%)
• What happens to the remaining 90% of energy in the food chain?

  It is lost as heat
• If the total energy input from the sun is 100 units, what is the energy available to the Primary Consumers?

  10 units