Energy Flow / Study Guide

Energy Flow / Study Guide

All living things must have energy to survive. Living things get energy from different places in an ecosystem. Scientists can classify living things based on how they get energy.

This plant is called a producer because it produces its own food for energy. Producers get energy to make their own food from the energy in sunlight or from certain chemicals in nature. Plants are producers.

This rabbit is called a consumer because it must eat other organisms to get energy to survive. All animals are consumers. This rabbit eats plants for energy.

Multiple Choice

A ______ is an organism that makes its own food for energy.

• consumer

• producer

• population

• community

Multiple Choice

A _______ is an organism that eats other organisms for energy.

• community

• consumer

• population

• producer

Multiple Choice

Producer or Consumer?

• Producer

• Consumer

Multiple Choice

Producer or Consumer?

• Producer

• Consumer

Multiple Choice

Producer or Consumer?

• Producer

• Consumer

Consumers can be divided into different groups depending on what they consume, or eat for energy.

Herbivores are consumers that only eat plants. Herbivores can be prey for predators.

Carnivores are consumers that only eat other animals. Because they eat other animals, carnivores are predators. Some smaller carnivores can also be prey for larger carnivores.

Omnivores are consumers that eat both plants and animals for energy. Omnivores can be both predators and prey.

Multiple Choice

Match this description with the correct consumer

"eats only plants for energy"

• carnivore

• herbivore

• omnivore

Multiple Choice

Match this description with the correct consumer

"eats both plants and other animals for energy"

• carnivore

• herbivore

• omnivore

Multiple Choice

Match this description with the correct consumer

"eats only other animals for energy"

• carnivore

• herbivore

• omnivore

Multiple Select

Select the pictures that show herbivores.

Multiple Choice

Conner saw a family of raccoons on his camping trip. He took pictures of the raccoons eating some different foods. Connor's pictures prove that raccoons are ________.

• omnivores

• carnivores

• herbivores

Multiple Select

Select ALL the labels that describe this tiger.

• consumer

• producer

• predator

• carnivore

• herbivore

Some organisms cannot be classified as a carnivore, herbivore, or an omnivore. These organisms, called decomposers, get energy from breaking down waste and dead organisms. Decomposers play a very important role in an ecosystem because they break down dead organisms and add important minerals and nutrients back to the soil that plants need to live and grow.

Maggots are the larvae that hatch from the eggs of flies. Maggots are decomposers, and they get energy from breaking down dead animals. These maggots are breaking down the body of a dead animal in a forest. As you can see, there is not much left of the dead animal. Without decomposers, ecosystems would be full of waste and dead organisms.

Multiple Select

An earthworm is a decomposer. Which descriptions are the best fit for an earthworm?

Select all correct choices.

• The earthworm gets energy from dead plant matter.

• The earthworm hunts and kills other animals to eat for energy.

• As the earthworm breaks down dead plant matter, it adds nutrients back to the soil that helps plants to grow.

When consumers eat food, they take in energy from the organisms they eat. A simple way to follow the flow of energy through organisms is to examine a food chain.

A food chain traces the path of energy and nutrients through a few organisms in an ecosystem. The arrows in the food chain show how energy moves from one organism to another. The image at right shows the different parts of a food chain.

Most food chains begin with energy from the Sun.

Grass is a producer that uses energy from the Sun to make its own food for energy.

The rabbit is a consumer that eats the grass. Energy moves from the grass to the rabbit.

The coyote is a consumer that eats the rabbit. Energy flows from the rabbit to the coyote. The energy that the coyote gets from eating the rabbit came from the grass in the food chain.

Multiple Choice

What is the source for this food chain?

• coyote

• grass

• the Sun

• rabbit

Multiple Choice

Which food chain shows the correct flow of energy through organisms?

Hint: Look at the direction of the arrows.

Multiple Choice

A heron is a bird that eats a variety of animals. What can you conclude about the heron from this chart?

• The heron is part of many food chains.

• The heron is an herbivore.

• The heron is an omnivore.

• The heron is prey in most food chains.

A food web is a diagram that shows two or more overlapping food chains. A food web is more complicated than a food chain. Energy flows in many different ways, from many producers to many different consumers. Since most animals eat a variety of foods to survive, a food web is a better way to understand how energy moves through an ecosystem.

Multiple Select

According to this food web, a rabbit might be the prey of which predators? Click on the image to enlarge.

Select all choices that correctly answer the question.

• sparrow

• coyote

• grass

• owl

• snake

Multiple Select

According to this food web, what organisms might a hungry coyote eat? Click on the image to enlarge.

Select all choices that correctly answer the question.

• snake

• owl

• grass

• rabbit

• sparrow (small bird)

Multiple Choice

Which is the best chart to show how decomposers fit into a food chain or food web?

Multiple Choice

This grasshopper eats plants for energy. (click to enlarge the image).

Do you think that all of the energy from the plants will flow into the frog that eats this grasshopper?

Energy moves through organisms in an ecosystems, but not all of the energy is passed onto the next consumer in the food chain. Lots of energy is changed into heat, so it does not move to the next consumer. Very little energy is stored in an organism.

This rabbit eats a plant, and energy from the plant moves to the rabbit.

The rabbit uses the energy it gets from eating the plant to keep its body warm, move around, breathe, and do other activities to survive. As the energy is used by the rabbit, it leaves the rabbit's body as heat.

Multiple Select

A squirrel gets energy from eating nuts and berries from plants. What will probably happen to the energy that moves from the plants to the squirrel?

Select all correct choices.

• The energy will leave the squirrel's body as heat after it is used.

• The squirrel will store all of the energy in its body.

• The squirrel will use the energy to move around, breathe, and stay warm.

Multiple Select

An owl catches and eats a squirrel. Which statements are true about the energy the owl will get from the squirrel?

Click each choice that is correct.

• All of the energy the squirrel got from plants will move to the owl because it was stored in the squirrel's body.

• Some of the energy that the squirrel got from plants is now heat in the environment, so it does not move to the owl.

• Only some of the energy the squirrel got from plants will move to the owl because the squirrel used the energy.

An energy pyramid is a diagram that shows the amounts of energy that flow between producers and consumers in an ecosystem. Producers always make up the base of an energy pyramid. The Sun and decomposers are not shown in an energy pyramid.

Grasses and other plants get energy from the Sun. They store some of the energy.

Zebras get energy from eating grasses and other plants. They only store a small amount of this energy in their bodies.

Lions get energy from eating other animals, like zebras. They only store a very tiny amount of the energy from their food in their bodies.

Multiple Choice

Choose the level of the energy pyramid that you think has the greatest amount of energy.

The base of an energy pyramid is the widest and shows the producers that store the greatest amount of energy. The pyramid gets smaller with each higher level because only some of the energy from the lower levels flows up to the upper levels.

Energy does not disappear, but it is used up by organisms to complete many activities. These activities change the energy into the form of heat.

Consumers, like these zebras, do not store very much energy. They use most of the energy to move, breathe, and stay warm. Only the energy that is stored in the body of a zebra can move onto a lion that eats the zebra. The energy that is changed to heat as the zebra uses it cannot move to a lion that eats the zebra.

Multiple Choice

Select the green √ if this statement is true and the red X if it is false.

Energy that is used and changed to heat can move onto other organisms in a food chain.

Multiple Choice

Select the green √ if this statement is true and the red X if it is false.

Energy that is stored in the body of an organism can move onto other organisms in a food chain.

Multiple Choice

What is a producer?

• an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material for energy

• an organism that eats other organisms to get energy

• an organism that produces its own food for energy

• a consumer that eats both plants and other animals for energy

Multiple Choice

What is a consumer?

• a diagram that shows the amounts of energy that flow between organisms in an ecosystem

• an organism that eats other organisms to get energy

• an organism that produces its own food for energy

• an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material for energy

Multiple Choice

What is a decomposer?

• an organism that eats other organisms to get energy

• an organism that produces its own food for energy

• a consumer that eat both plants and other animals for energy

• an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material for energy

Multiple Choice

An herbivore is ________.

• a consumer that eats only other animals for energy

• an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material for energy

• a consumer that eats only plants for energy

• a consumer that eats both plants and other animals for energy

Multiple Choice

A carnivore is _______.

• a consumer that eats both plants and other animals for energy

• an organism that produces its own food for energy

• a consumer that eats only other animals for energy

• a consumer that eats only plants for energy

Multiple Choice

An omnivore is ________.

• a consumer that eats both plants and other animals for energy

• a consumer that eats only plants for energy

• a consumer that eats ony animals for energy

• an organism that produces its own food for energy

Multiple Choice

What is a food chain?

• a gas makes up a majority of Earth's atmosphere

• a diagram that shows the amounts of energy that flow between many different producers and consumers in an ecosystem

• the process of burning a material

• a diagram that traces the simple path of energy and nutrients through a few organisms in an ecosystem

Multiple Choice

What is a food web?

• a diagram that shows two or more overlapping food chains

• a diagram that traces the simple path of energy and nutrients through a few organisms in an ecosystem

• a chemical that contains nitrogen that plants can take up through their roots

• a flow of materials through a system in a repeating pattern or process that happens over and over

Multiple Choice

What is an energy pyramid?

• a diagram that shows two or more overlapping food chains

• a flow of materials through a system in a repeating pattern or process that happens over and over

• a diagram that shows the amounts of energy that flow between organisms in an ecosystem

• the process of burning a material

Multiple Choice

Most of the energy in each organism reaches the next organism in a food chain.

Multiple Choice

Which of the label below would correctly be placed on the lower level of this energy pyramid?

• producers

• consumers

Multiple Choice

Which organisms make their own food using energy from the Sun?

• omnivores

• decomposers

• producers

• consumers

• herbivores

Multiple Choice

What happens to the energy that consumers use to complete activities like breathing, moving, and staying warm?

• It is stored in the consumer.

• It disappears completely.

• It moves onto the next consumer that eats the organism for food.

• It changes into heat.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following shows the correct movement of energy through a food chain?

• producer -> Sun -> consumer

• consumer -> producer -> Sun

• Sun-> producer -> consumer

• Sun -> consumer -> producer

Multiple Choice

Which organisms make their own food using energy from the Sun?

• omnivores

• decomposers

• producers

• consumers

• herbivores