Food Chains, Food Webs, and Pyramids of Numbers (Leaving Cert Biology): Flashcards
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14 cards from this deck
Food chain
Food chain
Linear sequence showing energy movement between organisms
Trophic levels
Trophic levels
Feeding positions in a food chain
Producers (1st trophic level)
Producers (1st trophic level)
Green plants that capture energy from sunlight
Primary consumers (2nd trophic level)
Primary consumers (2nd trophic level)
Herbivores that eat plants
Secondary consumers (3rd trophic level)
Secondary consumers (3rd trophic level)
Carnivores that eat herbivores
Tertiary consumers (4th trophic level)
Tertiary consumers (4th trophic level)
Top predators that eat other carnivores
The 10% rule
The 10% rule
Only 10% of energy passes to the next trophic level
Energy lost at each trophic level
Energy lost at each trophic level
Approximately 90%
Food web
Food web
Multiple interconnected food chains in an ecosystem
Pyramid of numbers
Pyramid of numbers
Visual representation of organism numbers at each trophic level
Why organism numbers decrease up pyramid
Why organism numbers decrease up pyramid
90% energy loss & larger organisms need more energy/territory
Niche
Niche
Organism's functional role within an ecosystem
Niche partitioning
Niche partitioning
Similar species evolving different roles to reduce competition
Why food chains are limited in length
Why food chains are limited in length
Significant energy loss at each level limits top predators