Energy Transformation in Ecosystems

A food chain is a series of organisms that eat other organisms, whereas a food web is a complex network of food chains that show the many possible feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Some energy is lost as heat, and only about 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level.

Energy pyramids show the energy available at each trophic level in an ecosystem, and the pyramid shape represents the decrease in energy available as you move up the trophic levels.

<p>The three types of energy pyramids are: 1) Pyramid of energy, which shows the energy available at each trophic level; 2) Pyramid of biomass, which shows the total mass of organisms at each trophic level; and 3) Pyramid of numbers, which shows the number of organisms at each trophic level.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Producers (autotrophs) are the base of the food chain and convert light energy into chemical energy, which is then transferred to other organisms through the food chain.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The equation is: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6 O2. Light energy is necessary to power the conversion of CO2 and H2O into glucose and oxygen.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Energy pyramids show energy flow through an ecosystem by depicting the amount of energy available at each trophic level, with energy decreasing as you move up the pyramid due to heat, waste, and respiration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>ATP is the energy currency of the cell, providing energy for various cellular activities such as muscle contraction, protein synthesis, transport of molecules across cell membranes, and cell division and growth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A food chain is a series of organisms that eat other organisms, with each level representing a different feeding relationship. Energy flows from one level to the next as organisms consume each other.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The byproduct is oxygen (O2), which is released into the atmosphere as a result of photosynthesis. This oxygen is essential for the survival of most living organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers