Biology Activity: Go with the Flow
NAME_____________
Procedure
1. Examine the food web provided. Break down the food web into smaller food chains. On the web, label the trophic levels
for each organism. Some organism may have more than one trophic level.
2. Fill in the table below with the organisms that you just labeled for each trophic level. There may be more than one
organism listed in the trophic level.
Trophic Level
Organism(s)
1
2
3
4
5
3.
4.
5.
Place the names of the organisms in their corresponding trophic levels in the energy pyramid below. If an organism
occupies more than one trophic level, be sure to write is name in EACH level.
The deciduous forest biome has a primary productivity value of 60,000 kilocalories/square meter/year. Write this value
on the line labeled “E” at the producer level of the energy pyramid.
Knowing that only 10% of usable energy moves from one trophic level to the next, calculate and record the average
number of kilocalories (kcal) transferred within the deciduous forest energy pyramid.
Analysis
1. Why is a food web a more realistic representation of a community as compared to a food chain?
2.
What happens to the amount of energy as you go up the energy pyramid? Be as specific as possible.
3.
Why is it very unlikely for a food chain to be more than 10 “links” long?
4.
What trophic level is often omitted from food web diagrams? What important role does this trophic level play within an
ecosystem? Label this trophic level under the energy pyramid to show that this group of organisms can obtain energy
from any other level.
5.
What trophic level is able to convert solar energy into chemical energy? How is this accomplished?
6.
In what trophic level do humans belong? Use vocabulary to support your answer.
7.
How does biomass, the total amount of living tissue, change as you go up the energy pyramid? Provide a reason for this
change based on your calculations from this activity.
8.
Complete the Energy Roles worksheet. You’ve worked on the front and 7-9 on the back.