(ECO) Energy Flow Lesson

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Go with The Flow

This video is a good example to show the complexity of ecosystems.

As you watch the video, think about the following questions:

  • What was the source of energy in this ecosystem?
  • Who were the producers?
  • Who are the consumers?
  • Can you create a food chain from watching this movie?

Ecological Levels

As you remember from the previous microlesson, a biome is made up of interacting ecosystems. What exactly is an ecosystem?

Ecosystem – all the living and nonliving factors found in a specific area.

Examples of ecosystems are: your back yard, Chattahoochee National Forest, Lake Lanier, or a wildlife refuge

Ecological Pyramids

Ecological Pyramids illustrate relationships between organisms in food chains. There are 3 types of pyramids:

Did you notice that each pyramid typically decreases in size moving from bottom to top (it's a pyramid, after all)? Recall that fewer and fewer organisms can be supported at higher levels of the food chain because less energy is available to them (10% rule).

Keystone Species

Some years ago, wolves were absent from Yellowstone Park. Watch this video titled "Wolves of Yellowstone" from Earth/A New Wild to study the effects of removing this top predator from the ecosystem.

Think about the following questions while watching:

  • What impacts did the wolf removal have on the ecosystem?
  • Would you consider the wolf a keystone species?

Challenge and Before You Go

Practice Time! Use the knowledge you learned from the lesson to complete the practice activities below.

    

  Before You Go - You Need To Know

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The following key points are from the explore section of the lesson. You must know the following information before moving to the next lesson. This is just a summary of the key points.

  • What is an ecosystem?
    1. The living and nonliving components of an environment
  • What is the difference between the food chain and a food web?
    • A food chain is one possible feeding relationship in an environment, while a food web is all the possible feeding relationships.
  • True or False. There is less energy available as you move through a food chain.
    • True
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