Name: Quinnya jackosn School: auburn

Date: 7/21/2021 Facilitator: Hendricks

1.04 Energy Pyramid Lab

Directions: In this activity, you will explore the relationship between energy and matter in
an ecosystem.

Part 1: Energy
Calculate the amount of energy available for each trophic level in each ecosystem given the
amount of the energy produced by producers. Hint: Remember the 10% rule.

Biome Producers Primary Secondary Tertiary

Consumers Consumers Consumers
Deserts 200 J 20J 2J 0.2 J

Deciduous 6000 J 600 J 60 J 6J

temperate
forests

Savanna 3000 J 300 J 30 J 3J

Tropical 9000 J 900 J 90 J 9J

rainforest

Tundra 600 J 60 J 6J 0.6 J

Part 2: Biomass
Calculate the total biomass in each ecosystem.

Biome Producers Primary Secondary Tertiary Total

Consumers Consumer Consumers Biomass
s
Deserts 315 29 5 1 350

Deciduous 12,016 1,175 140 17 13,348

temperate
forests
 Biome Producers Primary Secondary Tertiary Total
Consumers Consumer Consumers Biomass
s
Savanna 2,565 260 23 2 2,85019,401

Tropical 17,461 1722 193 25 19,401

rainforest

Tundra 293 7 4 1 305

Part 3: Analysis
Use the data in the charts above as well as information from the content of the lessons to
answer the following analysis questions. Use complete sentences.

1. Which ecosystem has the greatest amount of energy overall? The least amount? Tropical
Rainforest with the most. Deserts with the least.

2. Which ecosystem has the greatest mass of organisms in it? The least number of
organisms? (Hint: All trophic levels added together) Producers because they have the
most little guys. Tertiary with the least because it doesn’t get consumed.

3. Using what you know about the energy—matter relationship, explain why the ecosystems
with the greater amount of overall energy tend to have a greater mass of organisms. They
have more plants for organisms to eat.

4. Deserts have plenty of sunlight for producers to use in photosynthesis. However, their
energy levels and biomass are more like the tundra than the rainforest. Explain why. It is
too hot for anything to grow unlike the Rainforest.

5. The Plains zebra is one of the primary prey of the lion. There are about 750,000 Plains
zebras in the wild. There are only about 20,000 lions in the wild. Explain why zebras will
always outnumber lions in the wild. They have to repopulate fast so the lions dont run out
of food.