Evaluation
Case Study
The largest source of energy for an ecosystem is the sun. Energy that is not used in an ecosystem is eventually lost as heat. Energy and nutrients are passed around through the food chain, when one organism feeds the other. Any energy remaining in a dead organism is consumed by decomposers. Nutrients can be cycled through an ecosystem but energy is lost over time.
An example of energy flow in an ecosystem would begin with the autotrophs that take energy from the sun. herbivores then feed on the autotrophs and change the energy from the plant into energy that it can use. Carnivores subsequently feed on the herbivores and finally other carnivores prey on the carnivores.
In each case, energy is passed on from one trophic level to next and in each time some energy is lost. The top consumer of a food chain will be the organism that receives the least amount of energy.
Read the story above and say why least energy is passed to next trophic level.
PBL Tasks
- Duration: 20 minutes
- 1 month
- Grouping:
- 10 students per group
Select a study area within the school compound. using quadrant method, capture-recapture and head count, estimate the population of organisms in the area. Represent them in a food chain and develop a pyramid of numbers. explain the shape of the pyramid
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