Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Role of decomposers in energy pyramid

• Return nutrients to soil, support producers

• Increase energy transfer efficiency

• Compete with producers for sunlight

• Deplete soil nutrients over time

Comparing energy pyramid and food web

• Pyramid shows energy loss, web shows feeding relationships

• Pyramid shows feeding relationships, web shows energy loss

• Both pyramid and web show energy loss

• Pyramid shows energy gain, web shows feeding relationships

Trophic level meaning

• Position in food chain or energy pyramid

• Type of organism in an ecosystem

• Level of biodiversity in an area

• Rate of energy transfer between species

Identifying producers in a food web

• Organisms at the base, usually plants or algae

• Carnivorous animals that eat herbivores

• Decomposers that break down dead matter

• Predators that hunt other animals

Energy pyramid definition

• Diagram showing energy flow through trophic levels

• Graph representing population dynamics in an ecosystem

• Chart illustrating nutrient cycling in soil

• Model depicting the carbon cycle in nature

Comparing energy flow in aquatic vs. terrestrial food webs

• Both start with algae as producers

• Both start with plants as producers

• Both start with producers, but types differ (algae vs. plants)

• Both have the same types of producers

Secondary consumer example

• Frog or small bird

• Grasshopper

• Oak tree

• Rabbit

Energy transfer efficiency

• About 5% energy passed to next trophic level

• About 10% energy passed to next trophic level

• About 20% energy passed to next trophic level

• About 50% energy passed to next trophic level

Explaining why food webs are more stable than food chains

• Multiple pathways for energy, less impact from loss of one species

• Food chains are simpler and easier to understand

• Food webs have fewer species involved

• Food chains provide more energy to each species

Energy loss in pyramid

• Most energy lost as heat at each level

• Energy is completely transferred to the next level

• Energy is stored in the pyramid structure

• Energy loss is negligible at each level