Ecosystems and energy transfers

• What is the main topic of the study material?

  Energy transfers in ecosystems
• Why might this page not be the most interesting?

  It discusses basic energy transfers
• What is the role of the Sun in ecosystems?

  • Source of energy for nearly all life
  • Provides light energy for photosynthesis
• What percentage of light energy do plants convert?

  A small percentage
• What do plants do with the glucose they produce?

  Use it in respiration and store it
• What is biomass?

  The mass of living material
• How does a rabbit obtain energy from a plant?

  By eating the plant and using its energy
• What happens to the energy stored in the rabbit's body?

  It is used for metabolism and stored as biomass
• How is energy used by organisms at each trophic level?

  For survival processes like respiration
• What happens to a lot of energy in ecosystems?

  It is lost as heat
• Why isn't all energy transferred to the next trophic level?

  Not all energy is stored as biomass
• What does the loss of energy at each trophic level explain?

  Why fewer organisms exist at higher levels
• How does energy loss affect the number of organisms?

  Fewer organisms can be supported at higher levels
• What do pyramids of biomass show?

  • Amount of biomass at each trophic level
  • Indicates energy available at each level
• What does a pyramid of biomass indicate?

  How much biomass is present at each level
• What happens to energy as it moves up the food chain?

  It decreases at each trophic level
• Why do you rarely find food chains with more than five trophic levels?

  Energy loss limits the number of levels
• What is the implication of energy loss for ecosystems?

  Limits the number of organisms supported
• What are the consequences of energy loss in ecosystems?

  • Fewer organisms at higher trophic levels
  • Limits the complexity of food webs
  • Affects ecosystem stability
• What is the significance of the number of trophic levels?

  Indicates energy transfer efficiency
• How does energy transfer affect organism diversity?

  Higher energy transfer supports more diversity
• What does the study material suggest about energy in ecosystems?

  Energy is lost at each trophic level
• What are the key points about energy transfers in ecosystems?

  • Energy originates from the Sun
  • Plants convert light energy into biomass
  • Energy is lost at each trophic level
  • Fewer organisms exist at higher levels
• What does the biomass pyramid show at each level of a food chain?

  It shows how much the creatures weigh.
• Why is biomass considered a store of energy?

  Because it represents energy stored in organisms.
• What does the biomass pyramid indicate about energy at each stage?

  It shows how much energy exists at each stage.
• What are the levels of the biomass pyramid in a food chain?

  • Producers (starting point)
  • Primary consumers (herbivores)
  • Secondary consumers (carnivores)
  • Tertiary consumers (top predators)
• Who are the primary consumers in a food chain?

  Herbivores that eat producers.
• What happens to the biomass as you move up the pyramid?

  It decreases at each trophic level.
• What is the significance of the biomass at the top of the pyramid?

  It indicates fewer organisms can be supported.
• If you weighed all the organisms at each level, what would you find?

  Producers have the highest biomass weight.
• What is a characteristic of the biomass pyramid shape?

  It is typically pyramid-shaped.
• Why do organisms at higher trophic levels have less biomass?

  Because energy is lost at each level.
• What happens to biomass when producers have a short life span?

  It can lead to lower biomass at higher levels.
• What is the role of the producer in the biomass pyramid?

  They create their own food using energy.
• What is the significance of the exceptions in biomass pyramids?

  They show variations in energy transfer efficiency.
• How does the biomass pyramid relate to energy transfer in ecosystems?

  It illustrates energy loss at each trophic level.
• What should you remember when drawing a biomass pyramid?

  Each bar should represent a sensible scale.
• What is the eighth wonder of the world related to biomass?

  The biomass pyramids of ecosystems.
• What happens when producers have a very short life span?

  They can still produce biomass loads.