10% rule

Front

What is the 10% rule in energy transfer?

Back

As you go from one level to the next in an energy pyramid, only 10% of the energy is transferred to the next level.

Front

What is the primary source of energy for food chains and food webs?

Back

The sun.

Front

What does 'biotic' mean?

Back

Living.

Front

Which organisms typically have the largest total energy in an ecosystem?

Back

Producers, such as cattails and marsh grass.

Front

How much energy is typically lost at each trophic level?

Back

90% of energy is lost, meaning only 10% is passed on.

Front

What are producers in an ecosystem?

Back

Organisms that create their own food, usually through photosynthesis, like plants.

Front

What are consumers in an ecosystem?

Back

Organisms that eat other organisms for energy.

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

They break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil.