Lesson 4.1 - Energy Transfers

Producers convert the energy from the sun into glucose and store this energy in carbohydrates and glucose.  Consumers eat the producers and a transfer of energy from producer to consumer occurs.  You have used food chains and food webs to show how the transfers are linked.  Is a food web the best way to describe the transfer of energy in an ecosystem? 

Food webs are a good way to describe the transfer of energy, but there is something important that is not shown in a food web.  Do you know what that is? 

Read Energy Transfers on page 245 to see if you were right. Then, answer the following questions.

Question 1. What is the important thing that is not shown in a food web that may be shown in a ecological pyramid?

Question 2. What is an ecological pyramid?

Question 3. What is at the bottom of an ecological pyramid?

Question 4. What is at the top of an ecological pyramid?

 

Check your answers with those that follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers to Questions:

Question 1. What is the important thing that is not shown in a food web that may be shown in a ecological pyramid?

The ecological pyramid may show the relative numbers or amount of energy available at each level of the food chain. 

Question 2. What is an ecological pyramid?

An ecological pyramid is a model that shows the relative numbers of organisms or amount of energy available at each level in a food chain.  (See the definition on page 311.)

Question 3. What is at the bottom of an ecological pyramid?

The producers are at the bottom of an ecological pyramid.

Question 4. What is at the top of an ecological pyramid?

The highest level of consumer is at the top of the ecological pyramid.  This will often be humans or another top predator.

 


Go to the next page to continue Lesson 4.