Energy flow in an Ecosystem

1. Have a short description for each of the following:

a. Trophic levels -  is defined as the position of an organism in the food chain
and ranges from a value of 1 for primary producers to 5 for marine mammals
and humans.
b. Food chains and food webs - A food chain outlines who eats whom while a
food web contains all of the food chains present in an ecosystem.
c. Energy pyramid - is a graphical representation, showing the flow of energy at
each trophic level in an ecosystem.
d. Biomass - is fuel that is developed from organic materials, a renewable and
sustainable source of energy used to create electricity or other forms of power.
e. Laws of Thermodynamics:
1. The first law, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy, states
that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system.
2. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of any
isolated system always increases.
3. The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a
system approaches a constant value as the temperature
approaches absolute zero.

2. Answer the following briefly:

a. Explain the function of trophic levels in an ecosystem:
Trophic levels depict the availability of food or energy in a defined
ecosystem. It shows the interdependency of one organism to another.

b. Can a food chain ever begin with a consumer? Elaborate your answer:
No. A food chain cannot start with a consumer due to the fact that
consumers rely on producers. Thus, a food chain always begins with producers
who are the source of food.
c. Why is there a loss of chemical energy with each step in a food chain?
The energy decreases at each trophic level of food chain, as part of energy is
lost as heat and the major part of energy is liberated during respiration for use in
various activities.

d. How do the pyramids of energy and biomass represent the energy

relationships in an ecosystem?
The pyramid of energy and biomass shows a diagram that compares
the biomass of different trophic levels within an ecosystem. It shows the mass
of producers that are needed to support primary consumers, the mass of
primary consumers required to support secondary consumers, and so on.

e. Make a sample of food chain and food web.

FOOD CHAIN