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The food chain shows the energy transferred between organisms - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 5 - 2015 - Paper 1
Question 5
The food chain shows the energy transferred between organisms. The oak tree is the producer in the food chain. Complete the sentence by putting a cross (X) in the ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The food chain shows the energy transferred between organisms - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 5 - 2015 - Paper 1
Step 1
Step 2
Calculate the percentage loss of energy between the oak tree and the caterpillars.
Answer
To calculate the percentage loss of energy, use the formula:
ext{Percentage loss} = rac{ ext{Initial energy} - ext{Transferred energy}}{ ext{Initial energy}} imes 100Substituting the values from the question:
Initial energy = 7760 kJ (energy in oak tree) Transferred energy = 620 kJ (energy in caterpillars)
Thus:
ext{Percentage loss} = rac{7760 - 620}{7760} imes 100 \\ ext{Percentage loss} = rac{7140}{7760} imes 100 \\ ext{Percentage loss} \\approx 91.83\%Step 3
Suggest how energy is lost between trophic levels in this food chain.
Answer
Energy is lost between trophic levels due to several factors:
- Metabolic Processes: Organisms use energy for metabolic processes, such as respiration, movement, and growth, which causes energy to be lost as heat.
- Inefficient Energy Transfer: Not all energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next; for example, energy not consumed or digested by organisms is lost.
- Waste Production: Organisms produce waste that contains energy which is not utilized by other organisms in the food chain.