Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem: Overview
This topic covers concepts such as pyramid of energy, producers in an ecosystem, decomposers, food chains in pond ecosystem, and food webs.
Important Questions on Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Give two examples for tertiary consumer.
The classification of plants can be classified based on their life cycle.
Name the different characters considered for classification.
Hawks is an example of tertiary consumer.
In a food chain given below, which produces the food for herbivore?
Plants → Goat → Man
Secondary consumers are those which feed on primary consumers (herbivores). They can either be carnivores or omnivores.
The pyramid of energy is always upright as the energy can flow only from higher trophic level to lower trophic level.
What does a fish eat?
Looking at the table, name the creatures that eat both plant food and the flesh of other creatures.
| S. No | Name of creatures | Food |
| 1 | Buffalo | Grass, grain, straw etc. |
| 2 | Cat | Meat, rat, etc. |
| 3 | Rat/mouse | Fruits and nuts, meats |
| 4 | Crow | Insects, seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, meat, etc. |
| 5 | Goat | Grasses, weeds, grain. |
| 6 | Spider | Insects |
| 7 | Tiger | Other animals |
| 8 | Hen | Fruits, vegetables, grains, insects |
| 9 | Vulture | Dead animals |
| 10 | Lizard | Insects and small animals |
| 11 | Bed bug | Blood of other mammals |
| 12 | Worms | Decaying plant and animal matter from the soil |
| 13 | Monkey | Nuts, fruits, seeds, bird's eggs, insects |
| 14 | Dog | Meat, fish, vegetables and rice |
| 15 | Man | Meat, nuts, fruits, eggs, vegetables, seeds, etc. |
| 16 | Honey bee | Nectar |
| 17 | Mosquito | Blood, plant nectar |
The producer level of an energy pyramid contain the maximum energy.
Growth of thread-like structures along with the gradual spoilage of tomato can be observed when a cut tomato is kept aside for four days. Interpret the causes for this change.
Nature's cleaners are
At every trophic level, the amount of energy lost and retained is generally _____, respectively.
A food web consists of all the _____ in a single ecosystem.
Complete the analogy.
Plants : Producers :: Animals : _____
The pyramid of energy is always upright.
Bacteria and fungi are microbes that are present on dead remains of organism and organic substances to degrade into simpler inorganic substances, so bacteria and fungi are called _____.
Describe the concept of energy flow.
A food web is formed of a number of interconnected _____ so provides alternative pathways of food availability to the organisms.
In nature, a number of food chains are interconnected at various trophic levels to form a network called _____.
