Sub 2: Ecological Efficiency

Question 1

what are parasitoids?

Answer 1

they lay eggs in or on hosts which larvae then eat

Question 2

what is secondary production?

Answer 2

when animals use energy from their food to carry out the process essential to keep them alive for example for growth

Question 3

why do poikilotherms have more energy for secondary production than homeotherms?

Answer 3

homeotherms use a lot of energy to regulate body temperature and so there is less energy available for secondary production whereas poikilotherms don’t need t regulate body temperature and so have more energy available for secondary production

Question 4

what are the fates of light shining on a leaf

Answer 4

absorbed, reflected and transmitted

Question 5

what percentage of light striking a plant is converted to the NPP and is available to the primary consumer?

Answer 5

1%

Question 6

what percentage of energy gets passed on in a food chain after the primary consumer?

Answer 6

10%

Question 7

what is a pyramid of numbers?

Answer 7

a diagram showing that the number of organisms decreases at each trophic level in a food chain or web

Question 8

what is energy lost as?

Answer 8

heat

Question 9

what is a pyramid of biomass?

Answer 9

a diagram showing that the total mass of organisms decreases at each trophic level in a food chain or web

Question 10

what is a pyramid of productivity?

Answer 10

a diagram showing the decrease of energy available to each trophic level in a food chain or web

Question 11

why is pyramid of productivity the most reliable?

Answer 11

it is a direct method of measuring energy flow whereas the other are indirect