Energy Flow in Ecosystems

In a specific ecosystem, the producer level captures 5000 kJ of energy from sunlight. Assuming a typical 10% energy transfer efficiency between trophic levels, how much energy, in kJ, would be available to the primary consumers?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A food chain consists of grass (producer) → grasshopper (primary consumer) → frog (secondary consumer) → snake (tertiary consumer). If the grass initially contains 12,000 units of energy, what is the maximum amount of energy, in units, that could realistically be transferred to the snake, assuming a 10% transfer at each level?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Consider a marine food web. Phytoplankton (producers) have a total energy content of 80,000 calories. Zooplankton (primary consumers) feed on the phytoplankton, small fish (secondary consumers) eat the zooplankton, and larger predatory fish (tertiary consumers) consume the small fish. If the energy transfer efficiency is around 10% at each level, how many calories are likely available to the tertiary consumers?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Imagine a scenario where the energy transfer efficiency between trophic levels suddenly increased to 20%. If the producers in an ecosystem still capture 2500 Joules of energy, how many Joules of energy would be available to the secondary consumers in this new scenario?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A pyramid of energy shows the flow of energy through an ecosystem. If the base of the pyramid (producers) contains 15,000 kcal of energy, and the primary consumers contain 1500 kcal, what percentage of energy was transferred from the producers to the primary consumers? (Provide your answer as a number, e.g., 10)

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In a specific food chain, if the secondary consumers obtain 75 Joules of energy, approximately how much energy, in Joules, was initially present in the producers, assuming a 10% energy transfer efficiency at each trophic level?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Explain why only a small percentage of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem. Provide at least two distinct reasons in your own words.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

On average, how much energy is lost between each trophic level?

• 0%
• 10%
• 90%
• 100%

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

If there is 2,587 kcal of energy in one trophic level, how many calories will be available at the next trophic level?

• 2587

• 258.7

• 25.87

• 25870

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

On average, how much energy is lost between each trophic level?

• 0%

• 10%

• 90%

• 100%

Answer explanation

On average, 90% of energy is lost between each trophic level due to metabolic processes, heat loss, and waste. This means only about 10% of energy is transferred to the next level, making 90% the correct answer.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3