Energy Transfer between tropic levels
What is energy transfer?
Energy transfer in ecosystems occurs through trophic levels, which represent the feeding positions in a food chain or food web. These levels include producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.
What is a food chain?
A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass as one organism consumes another. Each step in the chain is a trophic level, and energy flows in a unidirectional manner.
What are the three type of pyramids discussed in the presentation?
Pyramid of Numbers
Pyramid of Biomass
Pyramid of Energy
The transfer of energy between these levels follows the ____ rule, where only about ____% of the energy from one level is passed on to the next, while the rest is lost as ______, _______, and ______ processes.
The transfer of energy between these levels follows the 10% rule, where only about 10% of the energy from one level is passed on to the next, while the rest is lost as heat, respiration, and metabolic processes.
What are the scientific names for decomposers?
Saprotrophs and Detritivores
Explain what is the Pyramid of Numbers
This pyramid accounts for the abundance of each trophic levels’ populations
Explain the tropic levels discussed.
The first trophic level: producers. Producers make their own food through photosynthesis.
The second trophic level: Primary consumers. They consume producers.
The third trophic level: Secondary consumers. They consume primary consumers.
The fourth trophic level: Tertiary consumers. They consume secondary consumers.
Give an example a Saprotrophs and Detritivores
Detritivores (e.g., earthworms, woodlice)
Saprotrophs (e.g., fungi, bacteria)
Give at least 2 limitations of the Biomass pyramid
The time of year affects the results.
One of the primary drawbacks of the biomass pyramid is its potential to overestimate the energy content at each trophic level.
It's hard to get biomass data because organisms need to be killed and dried in an oven.
Give at least 3 factors that affect Energy Transfer Efficiency
Trophic level position: Producers have the most energy, while top predators have the least.
Digestibility of food: Herbivores may not fully digest plant material, leading to energy loss.
Metabolic rate: Warm-blooded animals lose more energy as heat compared to cold-blooded ones.
Environmental conditions: Harsh climates increase energy loss due to thermoregulation needs.
What is a food web?
A food web is a more realistic representation of energy flow that consists of multiple interconnected food chains. It reflects the complex feeding relationships in an ecosystem, where one organism can consume multiple prey species or be consumed by multiple predators.
Give one limitation of the energy pyramid.
While energy is lost as heat due to metabolic processes, the amount of energy passing through each level can vary, and these variations are not always easy to quantify.
To construct an accurate Pyramid of Energy, one needs to determine the rate of biomass production of each organism. This necessitates meticulous measurements of an organism’s growth and reproductive rates over time. Such measurements can be intricate and time-consuming, making the process challenging.
Give 2 Ecological Implications of Inefficient Energy Transfer
Short food chains: Due to energy loss, most chains are limited to 4-5 trophic levels.
Biomass pyramid structure: Energy loss results in fewer organisms at higher trophic levels.
Human dietary choices: Eating lower on the food chain (e.g., plants) is more energy-efficient.
Give two advantages of the food web.
Greater Stability and Resilience
More Accurate Representation of Nature:
3.Higher Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning:
4. More Efficient Energy Transfer Paths:
What's the difference between the Pyramid of Biomass in a Terrestrial Ecosystem vs the Pyramid of Biomass in a aquatic Ecosystem?
the Pyramid of Biomass in a Terrestrial Ecosystem is upright
the Pyramid of Biomass in a aquatic Ecosystem is inverted