B2b - energy flow Flashcards
Whatdopyramidsofbiomassshow
thetotaldrymassoflivingmaterialateachstageofafoodchain
Explainwhypyramidsofnumbersandpyramidsofbiomassforthesamefoodchainscanbedifferentshapes
oneverylargeproducer/consumermayfeedmanysmallerconsumers(e.g. trees, parasites)
Explainthedifficultiesinconstructingpyramidsof biomass(2)
organismsmaybelongtomorethanonetrophiclevel
calculatingdrymassinvolveskillinganddryingorganisms
Explainhowsomeenergyistransferredtolessusefulformsateachstage(trophiclevel)inthefoodchain(3)
energyusedforrespirationforheatandmovement
egestion of undigested food which transfer energy out of the food chain
someenergylostviaexcretioninexcretoryproductslikesweat,urine
Whatcantheexcretoryproductsbeusedas
heenergyintheexcretoryproductscanbethestartingpointsfornewfoodchains
Explain the shape of the pyramids of biomass(2)
material and energy is lost at each trophic level and does not become biomass in the next trophic level
-less biomass higher up the pyramid
Explain the limited length of food chains
so much energy is lost at each trophic level that there’s not enough left to support animals after 4 or 5 trophic levels
What is the formula tocalculatetheefficiencyofenergy transfer
100%*((energyused for growth)/(energyavailable))