Food Chains and Food Webs

Define

Food Chain: A series of steps which illustrates how energy is transferred from one organism to another by eating or being eaten. They also vary in length.

Food Web: A network of food chains that demonstrate the feeding interactions of an ecosystem; very simplified models models because many species aren't represented.

2.

3. Explain how energy flows through this food chain? 

 Energy flows through this food chain in a one-way stream, form primary producers to various consumers. The shark eats the squid; the squid eats the fish; the fish eats the krill, and so on and so forth. 

4. What would happen to this food chain if a disturbance caused a serious decline in the shark population? 

If this was to happen there wouldn't be a predator to control the number of population of squids. That would result in a massive increase in squid. This would result in the larger population of squid to eat the fish. Eventually, the squid would have no food source and start to die.

5. VISUAL ANALOGY  What role does energy play in the diagram, how's it represented?

It plays an important role in this diagram.It's taken in and recycled by the decomposers and primary producers. The machine represent the organism that converts energy and put it to use.

Trophic Levels and Ecological Pyramids

True/False?

6. Primary consumers always make up the first trophic level in a food web? False

7. Ecological pyramids show the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food web. True

8. On average, about 50 percent of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level. False

9. The more levels that exist between a producer and a given consumer, the larger the percentage of the original energy from producers is available to that consumer. False

Match the organism with its trophic level. A trophic level may be used more than once.

Organism                                                       Trophic Level

10. algae (A)                                                      A. primary producer
11. grasshopper (B)                                         B. first-level producer
12. marsh grass (A)                                         C. second-level consumer
13. marsh hawk (D)                                          D. third-level consumer
14. plankton-eating fish (C)
15. ribbed mussel (B)
16. shrew (C)
17. zooplankton (B)

18. Third-level consumers (0.1%)
      Second-level consumers (1%)
      Third-level consumers (10%)
      Producers (100%)

      *To find the answers all you have to do is as you go up the pyramid you must multiple by 0.9*

19. A pyramid of biomass illustrates the relative amount of living organic matter available at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

20. A pyramid of numbers shows the relative numbers of individual organisms at the trophic levels in an ecosystem. 

21. A pyramid of energy shows the relative amounts of energy available at the trophic levels of a food chain or food web 

22. Apple the BIG Idea

Identify which type of ecological pyramid best traces the flow of matter through an ecosystem. Explain your answer.

Biomass pyramids shows the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level in an ecosystem which makes them the best type of ecological pyramid for the flow of matter through an ecosystem.

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