Republic of the Philippines

SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY

College of arts and Sciences

Tacurong City Campus

CATEDRILLA, CLARICE B. BS-BIOLOGY 2A

WRTING SCIENTIFIC REPORT

Energy Flow Estimation from Plant to Herbivore

I. Introduction
The green plants, also called producers or autotrophs by ecologists are the direct
beneficiaries of energy coming from its ultimate source the sun. Unlikely animals,
plant are capable of trapping radiant energy and convert it into a form of food or
chemical energy. This process takes place during photosynthesis. The chemical
energy produced by green plants constitutes the first basic form of energy storage
and it is termed the gross primary production. This in turns sets the spending limits
of energy utilization in the entire ecosystem. Of the energy stored by green plants
during photosynthesis, a large part is being utilized by the plant itself for respiration
and maintenance. The small parts that is left is called the net production. This
accumulates in time as biomass and becomes available to the next trophic level
occupied by the herbivores. By estimating the percentage of leaf that has been
eaten, we can approximate how much of the plant food (chemical energy) produced
during photosynthesis passes into the herbivore level. The amount of food energy
absorbed at the herbivore level is now called secondary production.

In this experiment, the students will learn and appreciate one method of
estimating the amount of plant food energy being transferred to the next trophic
level occupied by the herbivores.

KEY TERMS:
Producers
 Autotrophs
 Photosynthesis
 Gross primary production
 Respiration and maintenance
 Net primary production
 Secondary production
 Biomass
Radiant energy

 Chemical Energy
 Heat Energy
 Herbivore
 Carnivore
 Omnivore
 Food chain
 Trophic level
II. MATERIALS
 Fifteen (15) leaves of any plants species (e.g. Bauhinia purpuia)
 Fifteen (15) fallen leaves
 Graphing paper

III. PROCEDURE
1. Collect fifteen attached and fifteen fallen leaves which shows sign of animal
consumption or herbivory.
2. Attempt to identify the type of herbivores such as selective and non-selective,
marginal or internal. This can be done by observing the consumption pattern in each
specimen collected. The extent consumption varies such that the patterns produced
may appear as linear holes, circular holes, irregular-torn notches, or any epidermal
herbivory.
3. Place the individual leaf on a graph paper and trace the outline of each leaf and part
consumed. Total production will the total area on a graphing paper covered by the
leaf outline. The amount of the food passes into the herbivore level will be the total
area of the eaten portion which can be obtained using the same method. Compute
for the mean value. A more rapid and easier measurement of the areas by grid of
standard graph paper measures one C m2.
4. Calculate the present herbivory by multiplying the ratio of the eaten portion to the
original leaf area by 100%.

IV. Discussion

ATTACHED LEAVES

Leaf Sample Pattern Total leaf Area Area of the % of herbivory

Consumption pattern portion
GUAVA
1 IRREGULAR 172 cm² 9 cm² 5.23%
2 IRREGULAR 207 cm² 19 cm² 9.18%
3 IRREGULAR 72 cm² 3 cm² 4.17%
4 IRREGULAR 205 cm² 3 cm² 1.46%
5 IRREGULAR 95 cm² 7 cm² 7.37%

Leaf Sample Pattern Total leaf area Area of the % of herbivory

Consumption pattern portion
JUNK FRUIT
1 IRREGULAR 160 cm² 22 cm² 13.75%
2 CIRCULAR 145 cm² 20 cm² 13.79%
3 CIRCULAR 249 cm² 6 cm² 2.40%
4 IRREGULAR 508 cm² 67 cm² 12%
5 IRREGULAR 104 cm² 9 cm² 8.65%

Leaf Sample Pattern Total leaf Area Area of the % of herbivory

Consumption pattern portion
SOURSOP
1 IRREGULAR 121 cm² 7 cm² 5.78%
2 IRREGULAR 186 cm² 27 cm² 14.21%
3 IRREGULAR 112 cm² 21 cm² 18.75%
4 IRREGULAR 205 cm² 20 cm² 9.75%
5 CIRCULAR 132 cm² 14 cm² 10.60%
FALLEN Leaf Sample Pattern Total leaf Area Area of the % of herbivory
LEAVES Consumption pattern portion
GUAVA
1 NONE 206 cm² NONE NONE
2 NONE 91 cm² NONE NONE
3 NONE 112 cm² NONE NONE
4 CIRCULAR 218 cm² 23 cm² 10.55%
5 NONE 80 cm² NONE NONE

Leaf Sample Pattern Total leaf area Area of the % of herbivory

Consumption pattern portion
JUNK FRUIT
1 NONE 237 cm² NONE NONE
2 CIRCULAR 568 cm² 36 cm² 6.33%
3 NONE 213 cm² NONE NONE
4 NONE 156 cm² NONE NONE
5 NONE 136cm² NONE NONE

Leaf Sample Pattern Total leaf Area Area of the % of herbivory

Consumption pattern portion
SOURSOP
1 CIRCULAR 268 cm² 15 cm² 5.59%
2 CIRCULAR 188 cm² 7 cm² 3.72%
3 NONE 124 cm² NONE NONE
4 NONE 113 cm² NONE NONE
5 NONE 207 cm² NONE NONE

V. Conclusion:

An herbivore is an animal that only eats vegetation, such as grasses, fruits, leaves,
vegetables, roots and bulbs. Herbivores only eat things that need photosynthesis to live.
Some parasitic plants that feed on other plants are also considered herbivores.
The teeth of herbivores have adapted to chew the tough fibers of plants. Herbivores
have large, flat teeth that grind up plant materials. Their big molars grind up seeds and
twigs. Many herbivores have special digestive systems that let them digest all kinds of
plants, including grasses.

An animal’s diet determines where it falls on the food chain, a sequence of organisms

that provide energy and nutrients for other organisms. Each food chain consists of
several trophic levels, which describe an organism’s role in energy transfer in
an ecosystem. Herbivores are primary consumers, which means they occupy the
second trophic level and eat producers.

Not all herbivores eat the same, however. While some herbivores consume a wide
variety of plants, others consume specific plant parts or types. For example, frugivorous
eat fruit, granivores eat seeds, folivores eat leaves, and nectarivores eat nectar.
Based on its eating habits, it is possible to determine whether an herbivore is external or
internal, selective or nonselective. There are several different feeding habits, such as
epidermal herbivory, linear holes, circular holes, and unevenly torn notches. Young
leaves are preferred by herbivores over older leaves because they have a significantly
higher quantity of nutrients.