Food Chains, Webs, and the transfer of ENERGY Flashcards
concept 2/3
how is energy from the sun passed on to living things?
through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
what is passed on when one organism eats another?
energy
what is the first law of thermodynamics?
energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another
ex. photosynthesis transforms solar energy into chemical energy stored in monosaccharides (like glucose)
what is the second law of thermodynamics?
during any energy transformation, some of the energy is converted to an unusable form, usually thermal energy(heat).
food chains
simplistic way of showing the transfer of energy from producers to consumers
food webs
a more detailed way of showing energy transfer from multiple producers to multiple consumers
the 1st trophic level
made up of organisms that make their own food, aka producers.
what is an autotroph?
an organism that makes its own food
the 2nd trophic level
made up of organisms that feed on autotrophs, aka primary consumers
the 3rd trophic level
made up of organisms that feed on the primary consumers, aka secondary consumers
what is a heterotroph?
all consumers
can there be more than three trophic levels?
YES
bioaccumulation
when a toxin increases in concentration as you move up a food chain.
energy ……. as you move up a food chain but toxins ……… as you move up a food chain
decreases, increases
on average, what percent of the sun’s energy do producers actually capture?
1%
