PYRAMIDS EQ: How is energy calculated through a food chain?

sun eclipse with palm the ultimate energy source

Ecological Pyramids Does this pyramid represent a food chain or web? How could this pyramid be changed to represent a food web? Grass (10,000 kcal) Grasshopper (1,000 kcal) Frog (100 kcal) Snake (10 kcal) Hawk (1 kcal)

Pyramid of Energy Tertiary consumer Producer Primary consumer Heat 100% 10% 1% 0.1%

Pyramid of Energy What do the big numbers represent? The numbers in parenthesis represent the amount of energy present at each trophic level. Grass (10,000 kcal) Grasshopper (_____ kcal) Frog (___ kcal) Snake (___ kcal) Hawk (__ kcal)

Pyramid of Energy What happens to the energy as you go up the food chain? Only 10% of the energy is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level

Pyramid of Energy Tertiary consumer Producer Primary consumer Heat 1000 kcal 100 kcal 10 kcal 1 kcal Secondary consumer

Pyramid of Numbers Illustrates the relative number of organisms at each trophic level.

Pyramid of Biomass Illustrates the total amount of living tissue at each trophic level.

Ecological Pyramids What is different about this pyramid? How can the producer level be so small and support the trophic levels above it?

Pyramids of Aquatic Ecosystems Numbers Biomass Energy Phytoplankton are microscopic and weigh very little

Pyramids of Temperate Forests Numbers Biomass Energy Trees are huge but not as numerous as many smaller forest creatures.