Energy pyramid lesson

energy pyramids, the 10% rules, laws of thermodynamics

1. 11-29-16 WARM
UP 1.Which organism
represents the
primary consumer?
2.Which organism
represents the
secondary
consumer?
3.What do the
mushrooms and
rotting log
represent?

2. ENERGY
PYRAMIDS

3. Food chains
do not typically
go past 4 or 5
trophic levels

4. Why?
Energy cannot be
created or destroyed
Every time energy
is transferred, some
of that energy is lost

5. On average, about 90% of
the energy is “lost”
- only 10% moves to the
next trophic level

6. WHY ONLY 10%?
1. Not everything gets eaten

7. 2. There is still some
potential energy in
animal waste

8. 3. Each energy conversion
releases heat (a type of energy)
to the environment

9. New energy
is always
being added
to the food
chain by the
Sun

10. ENERGY PYRAMIDS
They show
how energy is
lost at each
stage of a food
web

11. In an energy pyramid:
•Producers
are at the
bottom,
because
they have
the most
available
energy.
(They got it
right from the
source)

12. The next level is the primary consumers.
They got 10% of the energy in the plants.

13. The next level is the secondary consumers.
They got 10% of the energy in the primary
consumers.

14. ENERGY PYRAMID
PRACTICE
If there is 10,000 kcal
of energy available in
the plants at the
bottom of the
pyramid, how much
energy will make it to
the zebras, and how
much will make it to
the lion?
1
0
,
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0

15. An energy Pyramid
Gets smaller as it
goes up since there
is less and less
energy as you go up

16. Pyramid of
biomass
How much
everything
weighs at each
level
Always pyramid
shaped

17. Pyramid of
numbers
How many
organisms are at
each level
Usually mostly
producers, then
primary
consumers, then
secondary and
so on
100,000 plants
1000
voles
1 owl

18. Pyramid of numbers
Could look like this:
1 oak tree supports
lots of primary
consumers, which
support fewer
secondary
consumers, then
even fewer tertiary,
etc.
1 oak tree
1000
caterpillars
50 bluetits
1 sparrow
hawk

19. ENERGY PYRAMID
ACTIVITY

20. DIRECTIONS:
CUT WHEN
FINISHED
AND TAPE
WHAT DOES AN
ENERGY
PYRAMID
REPRESENT?
•Use complete
sentences
•Write 3 facts
CONSTRUCT A
TERRESTRIAL
ENERGY PYRAMID
WITH 4 TROPHIC
LEVELS
•Draw, Color, Label
CONSTRUCT AN
AQUATIC ENERGY
PYRAMID WITH 5
TROPHIC LEVELS
•Draw, Color, Label
1.
5.
4.
3.
2.
PLACE
ON THE
COUNTER
THINK ABOUT YOUR
FOOD CHAIN
BEFORE MAKING
YOUR PYRAMID