Working on the Chain Gang
to Build Pyramids!
The food chain shown below lists the kilocalories of energy needed per day for each organism. Also listed is the weight of each organism. From this data, you will mathematically determine the following:
Pyramid of EnergyPyramid of Numbers
Pyramid of Biomass
SUN
300,000,000 Kcal
FLOWER
5 Kcal/day
.5 kg
APHID
.002 Kcal/day
.0002 kg
ARMY ANT
.004Kcal/day
.0005kg
ANT EATER
2,000Kcal/day
7kg
LEOPARD
3,000Kcal/day
68kg
Determining Energy:
Show your work below to determine the energy available to each level in the food chain originally provided by the sun. 10% of the energy from the previous level is available to the next level. To do this, take away one zero from the previous energy amount or divide the number by 10. The first one is done for you.
Sun300,000,000 Kcal
Flower: 30,000,000Kcal
Aphids:
Army Ant:
Ant Eater:
Leopard:
Pyramid of Energy:
Using the energy values that you determined above, draw an energy pyramid. Be sure to begin with the producer, write in energy values and draw boxes to scale as best as possible.
Determining Numbers:
Show your work below to determine the number of each organism that can be supported by the energy originally provided by the sun. To do this, take the energy available to that level divided by the energy needed for one organism. The first one is done for you.
Flower: 30,000,000 Kcal = 6,000,000 flowers
5 Kcal /flower
Aphids:
Army Ant:
Ant Eater:
Leopard:
Pyramid of Numbers:
Using the number values that you determined in the previous column, draw a pyramid of numbers. Be sure to begin with the producer, write in number values and draw boxes to scale as best as possible.
Determining Biomass:
Show your work below to determine the biomass of each level can be supported by the energy originally provided by the sun. To do this, multiply the number of organisms by the mass in kg as found on the food chain. The first one is done for you.
Flower = 6,000,000 flowers x .5 kg/flower
= 3,000,000 kg
Aphids:
Army Ant:
Ant Eater:
Leopard:
Pyramid of Biomass:
Using the biomass values that you determined in the previous column, draw a pyramid of biomass. Be sure to begin with the producer, write in biomass values and draw boxes to scale as best as possible.
Conclusion:
- Why does the amount of energy from the sun decrease as you move up the pyramid?
- Compare the pyramid of energy to the pyramid of numbers. How are they different?
- In the pyramid of numbers, how it possible that one level in the pyramid can be bigger than the level below it?
- If the biomass of the aphids doubled, how would that affect the rest of the pyramid? Why?
- Draw a pyramid of numbers to show one oak tree eaten by beetles that are eaten by birds that then get eaten by a hawk. Draw to scale as best as you can.
- Make a table on the back of this sheet listing the 5 organisms from the original food chain on the first page. Using the list below, write in all of the terms that apply for each of the organisms:
consumer
producer
autotroph
heterotroph
herbivore
carnivore
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer