Energy Flow In Ecosystems
Where does all energy in an ecosystem come from? How does it flow?
energy comes from the sun or inorganic compounds and then it flows in one direction to autographs, then heterotrophs
Define food chain
a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Define and draw a pyramid of numbers
based on the number of individual organisms at each trophic level
Define trophic level
each step in a food chain or food web
Draw a food chain
grass -> grasshopper -> frog -> snake -> fox -> vulture
List the type of consumers and what they eat
herbivores: only plants, carnivores: only animals, omnivores: both plants and animals, detritivores: plant and animals remains and other dead matter, decomposers: break down organic matter
Examples of producers on land, water, tidal marshes
land: plants, water: algae, tidal marshes: cyanobacteria
Define consumer. What else are these called?
organisms that can only acquire energy from other organisms, also called heterotrophs
Define producer. What else are these called?
organisms that capture energy from the sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food, also called autotrophs
Define and draw an energy pyramid
shows the relative amount of energy contained with each trophic level in a food chain or food web
Explain the 10% rule
the hitch: only about 10% of the energy available with one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level
Define and draw a biomass pyramid
the total amount of living tissue in each trophic level
Define food web
to represent the complex feeding relationship in an ecosystem and to link all food chains in an ecosystem together
In a typical ecosystem which trophic level typical has the highest number? The least? Why is this the case?
typically the highest number is the autotrophs, and the lowest number is the top of the heterotrophs. This is because big heterotrophs eat more so less of them can feed off of one big group of little organisms