Module 1 Intro

1.14. Page 5

Module 1—Energy Flow and the Cycling of Matter

 

Lesson Summary

 

In this lesson you explored the following essential questions:

• How can you model the transfer of energy and matter between organisms?

• How can you use math to explain the differences in energy flow in different ecosystem food chains?

During this lesson you should have learned that energy transfer through food chains is very inefficient. You may have considered becoming a vegetarian if you are a conservationist. And you should be able to model and calculate energy transfer in a variety of ways. If you don’t think that you have this mastered, you should talk to your teacher.

 

You also looked at a variety of different ecosystems and the biodiversity within these systems. Remember that stable ecosystems have a greater biodiversity than unstable ecosystems. Stable ecosystems, such as a tropical rainforest, are less affected by changes at any given trophic level or changes to the environment.

 

This is because organisms at higher trophic levels have a more varied diet and can feed on a variety of food sources, as opposed to an unstable ecosystem, such as the Arctic, where organisms at higher trophic levels have a very specific food source. In an ecosystem like the Arctic, slight changes to global temperature may more easily affect organisms at the lower trophic levels of a food chain.

 

As you move to Lesson 3, you will begin to explore the importance of water in cycling matter.

 

Lesson Glossary

 

conservationist: someone who advocates saving and/ or conserving natural resources

 

food chain: a diagram or model that uses a straight line to show how food (energy) transfers from producers to primary consumers to higher trophic levels

 

food web: a diagram or model that shows the connections among food chains (food/energy transfer) in an ecosystem

 

trophic level: describes the feeding level through which matter and energy are transferred; indicates an organism’s position in the food chain (e.g., producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer)