Trophic levels in an ecosystem

Question 1

Define the term trophic level.

Answer 1

Feeding level within an ecosystem

Question 2

What is a carnivore?

Answer 2

meat eating animal

Question 3

What is a herbivore?

Answer 3

plant eating animal

Question 4

What type of consumer is a carnivore which eats another carnivore?

Answer 4

tertiary consumer

Question 5

What do we call a carnivore that has no predators?

Answer 5

apex predator

Question 6

What is a decomposer?

Answer 6

Microorganisms that break down dead plant and/or animal matter

Question 7

How do decomposers gain their food from dead plant or animal matter?

Answer 7

By secreting enzymes into the environment. Small soluble food molecules diffuse into the microorganism.

Question 8

What does the pyramid of biomass represent?

Answer 8

The relative amounts of biomass at each level of a food chain.

Question 9

How much energy as a percentage is transferred by producers from incident light for photosynthesis ?

Answer 9

about 1%

Question 10

Approximately how much biomass, as a percentage, is transferred from a trophic level to the one above it?1

Answer 10

10%

Question 11

List two ways in which biomass can be lost at each stage of a food chain.

Answer 11

Not all ingested food is absorbed- some is lost as faeces.

Not all absorbed food is converted into biomass – some used for keeping constant body temperature or movement.

Question 12

What is the equation which should be used to calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer between trophic levels as a percentage?

Answer 12

efficiency of biomass transfer =

biomass transferred to the next level /
biomass available at the previous level

x 100