Trophic levels and trophic pyramids

Front

What do the arrows in a food chain or web represent?

Back

They show what direction the energy is flowing between organisms.

Front

What is the process called when plants use energy from the sun to create the first trophic level?

Back

Photosynthesis.

Front

If there is 1000 Kcal available in the producers in trophic level 1, how much energy is available in the herbivores in trophic level 2?

Back

100 Kcal.

Front

What happens to energy as it moves up trophic levels in a food pyramid?

Back

Energy is lost to the environment at each level, so less mass can be supported at each higher level.

Front

What is a trophic level?

Back

A trophic level is a position in a food chain or food web that indicates the organism's role in the flow of energy and nutrients.

Front

What are primary producers?

Back

Primary producers are organisms, like plants, that produce energy through photosynthesis and form the base of the trophic pyramid.

Front

What is the second trophic level composed of?

Back

The second trophic level is composed of herbivores that consume primary producers.

Front

What is the significance of the 10% rule in ecology?

Back

The 10% rule states that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and completing the nutrient cycle.