Energy and Biomass Flashcards
What is a food chain?
A diagram that shows us what eats what.
What is the first organism in a food chain called?
A producer
What are all organisms after the producer in a food chain called?
Consumers
What is each stage of a food chain called?
A trophic level
What is the trend in biomass and numbers on each trophic level?
Biomass and numbers tend to decrease on each trophic level.
What is biomass?
The mass of living material on an organism.
How can we display the mount of biomass on each trophic level of a food chain?
A pyramid of biomass.
What is the source of life on Earth?
Energy from the sun.
How do green plants use the Sun’s energy?
For photosynthesis
How does the Sun’s energy move up the food chain?
Plants use the energy for photosynthesis. The plants are then eaten by consumers and some of the energy from the Sun moves along the chain.
Why is biomass and energy lost as you go along a food chain?
- A lot of energy is lost to surroundings as heat
- Uneaten material contains energy
- Decay takes energy away
- Waste products like faeces contain energy.
How many trophic levels do food chains tend to have?
Between 4 and 5.
Why don’t food chains go on forever?
So much energy is lost that there’s not enough left to support any further organisms.
