Energy Pyramid Activity
Purpose: To describe the flow of energy in an ecosystem through an Energy Pyramid
Question: What percentage of captured solar energy does an organism receive at each trophic
level?
Information:
 The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies
in the food chain/energy pyramid.
 The sun is the primary source of all energy on Earth.
o Producers are organisms that make their own food. Example: Plants
Producers convert electromagnetic energy from the sun into chemical energy
through the process of photosynthesis.
Light + 6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2
o Consumers are organisms that cannot make their own food so they must get energy
from another food source.
 Primary consumers obtain their energy from eating producers
 Secondary consumers obtain their energy from eating primary consumers.
 Tertiary consumers obtain their energy from eating secondary consumers.
o Decomposers obtain their energy from breaking down dead organisms at each trophic
level.
 90% of all energy available at each trophic level is used (or stored for later use) by the
organism for tissue maintenance, growth, and reproduction and lost as heat (thermal
energy).
Hypothesis: If I accurately analyze the flow of energy through each trophic level then I will
find that the _____________________ will receive the most solar energy.
Data:
Type of
Organism:
Energy Pyramid
Analysis:
1. The pyramid shows the way in which __________________ is passed from one organism to
another.
2. The pyramid always starts with the ____________ and then a ________________________.
3. The size of the animal __________________________ as you go up the pyramid.
4. The number of organisms ___________________________ as you go up the pyramid.
5. The amount of energy available ________________________ as you go up the pyramid.
6. The top of any energy pyramid will always be __________________________.
7. What was 90% of the energy at each trophic level used for? __________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
8. What happened to the other 10% of the energy at each trophic level? __________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
9. Which trophic level of the energy pyramid obtained the most solar energy? _____________
10. What happens to the energy pyramid if the plants die? _____________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
11. What happens to the energy pyramid if the primary consumers die? __________________
____________________________________________________________________________
12. Why do we show the flow of energy in an ecosystem using a pyramid? ________________
____________________________________________________________________________
13. What trophic level on the energy pyramid would be most efficient in helping to feed the
world’s every growing human population and WHY? __________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion: Based on the data you can see that when an energy pyramid is analyzed the
______________________ receives the most solar energy, therefore my hypothesis was
________________.
Procedure:
1. Labe1 4 different sized beakers as Producer, Primary Consumer,
Secondary Consumer, and Tertiary Consumer
2. Place the 100 gummy bears in the small beaker. These represent the
100 joules of energy from the sun that is photosynthesized by plants.
3. Place 10 of the gummy bears into the next beaker. The 10 gummy
bears represent the amount of energy the primary consumer receives
from the producers.
4. Place 1 gummy bear into the next beaker. The 1 gummy bear
represents the amount of energy the secondary consumer receives from
the primary consumer.
5. Take the one gummy bear and cut it into 10 equal pieces.
6. Place 1/10 of the gummy bear into the largest beaker. The 1/10 piece
represents the amount of energy the tertiary consumer receives from the
secondary consumer.
7. Fill in the Energy Pyramid labels based on the information collected
during the lab activity.
Energy Pyramid Activity
Purpose: To describe the flow of energy in an ecosystem through an Energy Pyramid
Question: What percentage of captured solar energy does an organism receive at each trophic
level?
Information:
 The _____________ of an organism is the position it occupies
in the food chain/energy pyramid.
 The ________ is the primary source of all energy on Earth.
o __________________are organisms that make their own food. Example: ___________
Producers convert ______________ energy from the sun into ______________ energy
through the process of _______________________.
Light + 6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2
o ________________ are organisms that cannot make their own food so they must get
energy from another food source.
 ______________ consumers obtain their energy from eating _________________.
 ___________ consumers obtain their energy from eating ____________________.
 _______ consumers obtain their energy from eating ________________________.
o _____________________ obtain their energy from breaking down dead organisms at
each trophic level.
 ________ of all energy available at each trophic level is used (or stored for later use) by the
organism for tissue maintenance, growth, and reproduction, and lost as heat (thermal
energy).
Hypothesis: If I accurately analyze the flow of energy through each trophic level then I will
find that the _____________________ will receive the most solar energy.
Data:
Type of
Organism: