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Understanding Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

Explore the flow of energy through trophic levels, food chains, and webs in an ecosystem. Learn about organic material, energy loss, and why trophic levels are limited. Dive into the dynamics of energy transfer and discover the importance of producers and consumers.

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Understanding Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

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  1. Chapter 18Section 3 Energy Transfer

  2. Think- Pair-Share • If some of the resources in a habitat are destroyed, which would be more likely to survive, a generalist species or a specialist species? Why?

  3. Energy Flow • How do we receive our nutrients and energy? • From what we eat • Food Metabolizes and energy is transferred • As energy flows through and ecosystem is moves from Producers to Consumers. • Trophic Level- a way to organize the path at which energy flows through and ecosystem.

  4. Trophic Level • It indicates an organisms position in a sequence of energy transfer. • Organized by the organisms eating behaviors. Trophic Level

  5. Food Chain • Single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem that results in energy transfer. • Feeding relationships are normally too complex to be represented in a single chain. Food Chains

  6. Food Web • Interlinked or interrelated food chains.

  7. Energy Transfer • The amount of energy stored as organic material in each trophic level in an ecosystem. • What is organic material? • Matter composed of organic compounds that has come from the remains of once-living organisms such as plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

  8. Energy Transfer • Pyramid shape represents the low percentage of energy transferred from one level to the next. • Average 10% of the total energy consumed in one level is passed on to the next level.

  9. Energy Transfer • Why is the energy % transfer so low? • Some escape being eaten • Die and become food for decomposers • Even if eaten the consumer may not be able to breakdown the molecules into useful energy. • Ex: Lion eats the hoofs of antlers its prey • Energy is lost in the bodies process to metabolize the food.

  10. Quiz • What is the organic material in an ecosystem called? • Biomass • What is an organism called that eats both producers and consumers? • Omnivores • How much of the total energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next? • About 10%

  11. Question and Answer Time • Do you know why there are only a few trophic levels? • Because there is a low rate of energy transfer between trophic levels • There would not be enough energy to support additional trophic levels • Are there more organisms in the lower trophic level or the highest trophic level? • Lower trophic levels contain more energy • Higher trophic levels contains less energy not being able to provide enough energy to support more organisms.

  12. Questions and Answer Time • Explain why food chains and food webs are more of a transfer of energy than just what eats what? • How does a food chain differ from a food web? • Explain why food chains do not exceed three or four levels? • How do producers and consumers obtain energy? • Explain why the same area can support a greater number of herbivores than carnivores? • Describe the probable effects of an ecosystem if all the plants were to die. What if all the decomposers were to die?

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