Question

3. The bottom level of energy pyramids is always primary producers, which we know as _____________.

4. Primary producers get their energy from the ___________.

5. What is the "ten percent rule" as it applies to ecosystems?

6. You have 10,000 calories (a measure of food energy) worth of corn. If you ate the corn directly, how many calories of food would you be getting? __________ calories. If you fed all of the corn to chickens, and then ate the chickens, how many calories of food would you be getting? ________________ calories. If you fed all the corn to minnows (small fish) and then fed the minnows to trout, and ate the trout, how many calories of food would you be getting? __________________ calories. So, you don't like trout, so you feed your trout to largemouth bass. If you ate the bass, how many calories of food would you get? __________ calories. Lots of calories seem to be disappearing here! Where do they go?

________________________________________________________________________

Answer 1

3. autotrophs

4. sun

5. When energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to another trophic level, only 10% of that energy will be passed on.

6. You have 10,000 calories (a measure of food energy) worth of corn. If you ate the corn directly, how many calories of food would you be getting? 1000 calories. If you fed all of the corn to chickens, and then ate the chickens, how many calories of food would you be getting? 100 calories. If you fed all the corn to minnows (small fish) and then fed the minnows to trout, and ate the trout, how many calories of food would you be getting? 10 calories. So, you don't like trout, so you feed your trout to largemouth bass. If you ate the bass, how many calories of food would you get? 1 calories. Lots of calories seem to be disappearing here! Where do they go

90% of the energy is lost through metabolic processes as heat.