Energy Pyramids

Energy
Pyramids

Multiple Select

Potential energy depends on the ________ and ________ of the object.

• Height (position)

• Mass

• Speed

• Friction

Multiple Choice

Which point has the most potential energy?

• G

• F

• B

• A

Multiple Choice

At which point of the roller coaster is potential energy the greatest?

• W

• X

• Y

• Z

Multiple Choice

When a pendulum swings, at which point is kinetic energy highest?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Multiple Choice

When a pendulum swings, at which point is potential energy at its greatest?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Multiple Choice

The faster an object moves, the ________ kinetic energy it has.

• more

• less

Multiple Choice

What kind of energy is in a moving skateboard?

• Potential
• Kinetic

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Energy Pyramids

Essential Question:

Reflect on the Essential Question
before you dive in…

1. If you were quizzed today,
would you know the answer to
the essential question already?

2. What would you need to learn
more about to answer the
essential question more
confidently?

How is the flow of
energy through an
energy pyramid
diagrammed?

Multiple Choice

Make their own food for energy

• producers

• herbivores

• omnivores

• carnivores

Multiple Choice

Get their energy from consuming plants (primary consumers)

• producers

• herbivores

• omnivores

• carnivores

Multiple Choice

Get their energy from consuming plants and other organisms (primary or secondary consumers)

• producers

• herbivores

• omnivores

• carnivores

Multiple Choice

Grasses directly pass energy to...

• grasshopper, frog, bird

• mouse, rabbit, grasshopper

• rabbit, fox, snake

• frog, owl, mouse

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• All living things need energy.

• Energy made by plants (through

photosynthesis) is transferred to an animal
that eats it.

• The organism then transfers the energy to

the next organism which eats it, and so on, and so on.

• A graphic representation of this system is

called an Energy Pyramid.

Energy in a Living System

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Trophic Levels

• The feeding position in a food chain or

energy pyramid that an organism occupies
based on what it eats.

• Energy decreases from lower to higher

trophic levels.

• Biomass (living or organic matter)

decreases from lower to higher trophic
levels.

How is an energy pyramid organized?

Multiple Choice

Carnivores

• Animals that feeds on flesh and plants

• An animal that doesn't like meat

• An animal that feeds on flesh

• A human

Multiple Choice

The first trophic level is

• Carnivore

• Producer

• Primary Consumer

• Herbivore

Multiple Choice

tertiary consumers

• Eat the primary consumer

• Eat plants and animals

• Consume the producer

• eat the secondary consumer

Multiple Choice

A food chain shows ___ feeding relationship(s)

• 2

• multiple

• 1

• all

Multiple Choice

a primary consumer is always a

• omnivore

• carnivore

• omnivore or herbivore

• herbivore

Think About It

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Is the energy flow of an
ecosystem affected in places
like Alaska where they
experience long periods
without sunlight?

Explain your answer.

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Energy Pyramids

1

2

3

4

5

•

Get their energy from the Sun

•

Make their own food through
the process of photosynthesis

•

Autotroph - makes its own food

Producers

Which level(s) in the energy

pyramid represents the

producers?

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1

2

3

4

5

•

Unable to make their own food

•

Heterotrophs – cannot make their
own food, so they have to eat
other things like plants or
animals

Consumers

Which level(s) in the energy

pyramid represents the

consumers?

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1

2

3

4

5

•

First level consumers

•

Herbivore- Consume plants

•

Heterotrophs-cannot make their own food

Primary Consumers

Which level in the energy

pyramid represents the

primary consumer?

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1

2

3

4

5

Which level in the energy
pyramid represents the
secondary consumer?

Which level in the energy
pyramid represents the
tertiary consumer?

•

Eat primary consumers and each
other

•

Carnivores (eats other animals)

•

Omnivores (eats both plants and
animals)

•

Heterotrophs

Secondary and Tertiary Consumers

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1

2

3

4

5

Which level in the energy

pyramid represents the apex

predator?

•

Apex predators

•

Top of the food chain (animal
upon which nothing preys)

•

Typically carnivores

•

Heterotrophs

Quaternary Consumer

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•

Garbage man of ecosystems

•

Active at each level of the
pyramid.

•

Break down dead organisms and
return its nutrients back to the
environment

Decomposers

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Energy Pyramids
An energy pyramid’s
shape shows how the
amount of useful
energy that enters
each level (chemical
energy in the form of
food) decreases as
it is used by the
organisms in that
level.

Think About It

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The energy pyramid is frequently used to
model the flow of energy between trophic
levels. However, as with any model, it has
limitations.
For example, the pyramid ends at the top
level. This might suggest that the flow of
energy stops at the top.

Is that true? What happens to the energy from
the top trophic level?

Think of another model or example that could
represent the flow of energy in living systems.

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Energy Pyramids

The Amount of energy in
every level decreases by
about 90% as you go up the
pyramid.

The energy is measured in –
Kilocalories (Kcal) or Joules
(J)

1Kcal = 4184 Joules (J)

Approximately what
percent of energy is
passed onto the next

trophic level?

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Energy Pyramids

That is a lot of energy not
being passed on from
organism to organism.

Take a moment to
brainstorm where to think
this energy may go.

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•

Remember energy cannot be
destroyed.

•

Energy is used up by the animals
metabolic processes, running,
eating, finding mates, escaping
danger – daily living.

•

Given off to the environment as
heat.

Where does this energy go?

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Energy Pyramids

The consumers at the
top of a food pyramid
have much less
energy available to
support them than
those closer to the
bottom.

That is why their
numbers are relatively
few. Eventually, the
amount of useful
energy left cannot
support another level.

Think About It

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Biomass is the energy in living organisms.
It decreases from lower to higher trophic
levels.

How is this possible if the Law of
Conservation of Mass says that mass can
neither be created or destroyed?

Give your best answer to...

1.

Explain the trophic levels in an energy pyramid.

2.

Explain the movement of intial energy from the sun
through an energy pyramid.

3.

Differentiate between the amount of initial energy from
the sun at the producer trophic level verses the apex
predator trophic level.

Check for

Understanding

Multiple Choice

In this energy pyramid, what is the proper name for ANY ORGANISM ABOVE THE PRODUCER LEVEL?

• decomposers
• consumers
• producers
• omnivores

Multiple Choice

What is the role of a producer?

• Use sunlight to make food
• Gain energy from eating other organisms
• Keep other species from overpopulating
• Breaking down dead stuff 

Multiple Choice

How much energy is available to be passed on to the next trophic level in an ecosystem?

• 100%
• 10%
• 50%
• 75%

Multiple Choice

Bears eat a variety of foods including fish, berries, other types of vegetation.  Bears would best be classified as – 

• producers
• herbivores
• carnivores
• omnivores

Multiple Choice

Which are decomposers?

• humans
• trees
• red wolves
• worms

Multiple Choice

A living organism that puts materials from dead  plants and animals back to the soil is called a ____________?

• carnivore
• decomposer
• herbivore
• omnivore

Multiple Choice

What do the arrows represent in this diagram?

• who is being eaten
• the flow of energy
• the decomposition of organisms
• what things can change into

Multiple Choice

Which level will contain plants?

• A
• B
• C
• D

Multiple Choice

What would happen if the primary consumers died out?

• the producers would grow and the secondary and tertiary consumers would die

• producers would die out

• consumers would grow