Feeding Relationships - Paper 1

Question 2

What is a trophic level?

Answer 2

• It is another word for energy level
• each level on a pyramid of numbers is called a trophic level

Question 3

What is the problem with a pyramid of numbers?

Answer 3

• pyramids of numbers do not always look like pyramids
• this can be confusing as it looks like there is less energy at the producer level than at the consumer levels

Question 4

What is the definition of a pyramid of biomass?

Answer 4

A pyramid to represent the mass of each organism at each trophic level

Question 5

What is biomass

Answer 5

The mass of living material

Question 6

What is the definition of a pyramid of energy?

Answer 6

A diagram which represents the amount of chemical energy in the organisms at each trophic level over a certain time period.

Question 7

Why are pyramid of energy good?

Answer 7

They always produce a typical pyramid shape as the amount of energy at each trophic level is always less than the one before

Question 8

What is the definition of a producer?

Answer 8

The plant in the food chain- they produce food by photosynthesis

Question 9

What is the definition of a primary consumer

Answer 9

Animals that eat the producer
for example, rabbits, caterpillars, cows and sheep

Question 10

What is the definition for a secondary consumer

Answer 10

Usually eat animal material- they are carnivores
for example, cats, dogs and lions

Question 11

What is the definition for decomposers

Answer 11

Feed on dead and decaying organisms and on the undigested parts of plant and animal matter in faeces

Question 12

How is energy lost from one animal to another when it is eaten?

Answer 12

• excess protein is broken down and passed out as urea in excretion
• released in respiration to allow movement
• passed out as undigested food- energy has not been used and is excreted
• not all of the organism is eaten

Question 13

How is energy lost through waste?

Answer 13

• not all biomass can be used
• herbivores can’t digest all the plant and so they have to eat large amounts and often, which produces large amounts of faeces
• carnivores eat meat, this is easier to digest so they eat less often and produce less waste but they cannot eat all of the animals e.g. hooves claws etc.
• if an excess of protein is eaten it cannot be used by the body so it forms urea which is passed out as excess urine.