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Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Trophic Levels and the 10% Rule

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Type
lesson
Grade Level
Grade 8
Duration
45 minutes
Questions
2

Description

A deep dive into how energy is transferred and lost as it moves from producers to apex predators.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify the distinct trophic levels in an energy pyramid.

  • Apply the 10% rule to calculate energy availability at higher trophic levels.

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## The Source of All Energy Energy enters most ecosystems as sunlight. Producers (autotrophs) capture this solar energy through photosynthesis, converting it into chemical energy stored in glucose ($ \ce{C6H12O6} $).

$$\ce{6CO2 + 6H2O ->[light] C6H12O6 + 6O2}$$
💡 The 10% Rule

On average, only about 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next level. The remaining 90% is lost as heat or used for the organism's life processes.

The Energy Pyramid

Assessment Questions

2 questions
1

If a producer level contains 5,000 Joules (J) of energy, how much energy is available to the secondary consumers?

Multiple Choice
2

Place these organisms in the correct order of energy flow, starting from the energy source:

Ordering

Standards Alignment

MS-LS2-3
Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Resource Details

Subject
Life Science
Language
EN-US
Author
Gemini AI
License
MIT
PRISM ID
energy-flow-trophic-levels

Usage

5
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0
Imports

Keywords

ecology trophic levels energy pyramid 10 percent rule photosynthesis

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