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How is Energy Transferred through a Community of Organisms?
Virtual Interactive Lab
OBJECTIVE(S):
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DETERMINE an organism’s place in a food chain
TRACE the flow or energy through different communities of organisms
ANCHOR(S) ADDRESSED:
S8.B.3.1.1 EXPLAIN the flow of energy through an ecosystem
S8.B.3.1.2 IDENTIFY major biomes and describe abiotic and biotic components
S8.B.3.1.3 EXPLAIN relationships among organisms in an ecosystem
BACKGROUND:
The organisms in an ecosystem interact with other organisms and with nonliving things in the
environment in various ways. Biotic factors are the living things in the environment. Abiotic factors are
the nonliving characteristics of the environment. Some examples of biotic factors include humans,
protists, and wolves. Some examples of abiotic factors include temperature, soil, and rainfall.
Some of the most important interactions among species in an ecosystem community involve feeding.
All living things need food for energy. When one organism consumes another, energy is transferred
from the organism that is eaten to the organism that eats it. Most of the energy an organism takes in is
released as heat. Only about 10% of the energy available at one feeding level transfers to the next
organism at the next level.
A food chain is a model that shows how energy in the form of food passes from one organism to
another. It is used to describe how energy flows through a biological community. Most food chains
have four or five links, with each link representing a feeding step or trophic level. Organisms are placed
into a food chain according to their energy source. There are up to five levels in a food chain:
producers, first-order consumers, second-order consumers, third-order consumers, and decomposers.
Producers obtain energy from the Sun or from chemicals in the environment. Plants, bacteria, and
protists are examples of producers. First-order consumers, or herbivores, obtain energy by eating
producers. Rabbits, geese, and termites are examples of first-order consumers. Second-order
consumers, or carnivores, obtain energy by eating herbivores. Examples of second-order consumers
include wolves, spiders, and frogs. Third-order consumers, or top carnivores, obtain energy by eating
other carnivores. Lions, falcons, and killer whales are examples of third-order consumers. Decomposers
feed at all levels of a food chain, obtaining energy by breaking down the decaying bodies and wastes of
other organisms. Examples of decomposers include mushrooms and molds.
In this Virtual Lab, you will examine various organisms and determine their placement in a five-link food
chain.
ANALYSIS:
1. MATCH the term with the definition. Use CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY!
____ abiotic factors
A. a model that shows how energy in the form of food passes from one
organism to another; describe how energy flows through a biological
community
____ biotic factors
B. link or a feeding step of a food chain
____ carnivore
C. organism that obtains energy from the Sun or from chemicals in the
environment; plants, bacteria, and protists are examples
____ decomposer
D. organisms that obtain energy by eating producers; AKA first-order
consumers; rabbits, geese, and termites are examples
____ ecosystem
E. organisms, like mushrooms and molds, that obtain energy by
breaking down the decaying bodies and wastes of other organisms;
feed at all levels of a food chain
____ 1st order
F. organisms that obtain energy by eating herbivores; examples include
wolves, spiders, and frogs; AKA carnivores
____ food chain
G. the nonliving characteristics of the environment including
temperature, soil, and rainfall
____ herbivore
H. organisms that obtain energy by eating producers; AKA herbivores;
rabbits, geese, and termites are examples
____ producer
I. organisms that obtain energy by eating other carnivores; lions,
falcons, and killer whales are examples; AKA top consumers
____ 2nd order
J. organisms that obtain energy by eating other carnivores; lions,
falcons, and killer whales are examples; AKA third-order consumers
____ 3rd order
K. organisms that obtain energy by eating herbivores; examples include
wolves, spiders, and frogs; AKA second-order consumers
____ trophic level
L. the living things in an environment including humans, protists, and
wolves
2. DISCUSS why you would not be likely to find a food chain containing 10 trophic levels.
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3. DISTINGUISH between producers & consumers. PROVIDE one example of each.
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4. IDENTIFY whether humans are producers or consumers. EXPLAIN.
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5. DESCRIBE where producers belong in a food chain.
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6. EXPLAIN why decomposers are important to the ecosystem.
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7. Grizzly bears are top carnivores in some North American ecosystems. PREDICT, with details, what
might happen to a community of organisms if grizzly bears suddenly became extinct.
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