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Energy and Biomass in Food Chains

Radiation from the sun is the source of energy for most communities of living organisms
1. Green plants and algae absorb a small amount of light that reaches to them
2. The transfer from light to chemical energy occurs during photosynthesis
  1. This energy is stored in the substances that make up the cells of the plant
The mass of living material (biomass) at each stage in a food chain is less than it was at the previous stage
1. The biomass at each stage can be drawn to scale and shown as a pyramid
The amounts of material and energy are always lost in the biomass of organisms are reduced at each successive stage in food chain because
1. some materials and energy are always lost in the organisms' waste materials
2. respiration supplies all the energy needs for living process, including movement- much of this energy is eventually transferred to the surrounding
The orders of the food chain are split up into types
1. Producers: plants and algae- they make food by photosynthesis
2. Primary consumers: usually eat plant material- they are herbivores
3. Secondary consumers: they usually eat animal material- they are carnivores
4. Predators: they kill for food- they are usually secondary or tertiary consumers
  1. Prey: the animals predators feed on
5. Scavengers: they feed on dead animals

Energy and Biomass in Food Chains

	Created by seth.bragg over 11 years ago