APES Food for thought...

Trophic levels

Plants make food during photosynthesis; they are called primary producers or autotrophs. Animals eat the food. They are known as consumers or heterotrophs. 1. What does the suffix troph mean The suffix troph means organism that gets nourishment from a (specified) source. !. What do you think a trophic le"el is # think trophic le"el is animals $roken apart into groups that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationships to the primary sources of energy. %. &ow a$out food chains' food we$s (ompare and contrast those terms you learned in $iology. A food chain is a $asic form of showing how energy is passed $etween organisms and a food we$ inks different food chains together ). *uickly sketch a food chain using organisms that might $e found on our school grounds. a. What do you ha"e to do to turn it into a food we$ +o so.

5.

,ook at the following diagrams called -nergy Pyramids.

a. What do they all ha"e in common They all ha"e a consumer and primary producers. $. &ow are they different from one another They are different $ecause each one is from a different $iome. .. Why are there are more organisms at the $ase and less organisms as you tra"el up the pyramid a. Any idea what an energy pyramid shows There are more organisms at the $ase $ecause there it recei"es the most sunlight gi"ing it the most energy compared to the top. /. Two of the pyramids ha"e num$ers. +o you see a pattern in the num$ers a. What might the num$ers mean

Both pyramids have the same numbers that I believe represent the number of animals in that certain level. I see the pattern from the bottom up getting smaller by dividing each number by 10.
Read the following description from Earth Force http://www.earthforce.org/content/article/detail/1284 -nergy pyramids' otherwise known as trophic level diagrams' are used to represent the flow of energy through an ecosytem. An organism0s trophic level indicates the organism0s position in the se1uence of energy transfers. There are two apparent trends represented in an energy pyramid. 2irst' there are enormous num$ers and masses of indi"idual animals or plants at the $ottom and the num$ers decrease as you reach the top. 3econdly' the si4es and energy needs of the indi"idual organisms generally increase as you reach higher le"els. The $ottom' or $ase' of an energy pyramid is a position always held $y the producers and represents 5$y far6 the largest percentage of $iomass for the food we$. The need for such a large $iomass of producers is to support the energy needs for all the organisms at higher trophic le"els. #n the illustration a$o"e' the osprey is positioned at the highest trophic le"el. Therefore' for the energy transformations represented $y the pyramid' the osprey is the organism with the greatest energy needs and relies on all of the transactions from producers to consumers to ha"e enough energy left o"er to fill its own energy needs. #t should $e acknowledged that ecosystems are "ery complex and any food chain' food we$ or energy pyramid simply illustrates the general idea. #t would $e practically impossi$le to illustrate all the possi$le ways that animals interact and all the possi$le ways that energy mo"es throughout an ecosystem. Next, now that youve thought about food chains, energy pyramids and so on, lets do some problem solving. As you do these, thin about the

benefits and drawbac s of eating at lower trophic levels. First, for some bac ground, read about soybeans from the7 http899www.iasoy$eans.com9index.html 3mall :ean' :ig +reams 3mall $ean' $ig dreams is a fitting motto for the "ersatile soy$ean plant. ;nown as the (adillac of protein sources' soy$eans nourish the people and animals of the world. 3oy$eans also help us reduce reliance on petroleum through hundreds of renewa$le product inno"ations that enhance our e"eryday li"es. All this from a $ean so small that it takes around 1<='=== soy$eans to fill one $ushel. >ood things do come in small packages? 3oy$eans ha"e a rich history from their creation in (hina <'=== years ago. #n our country' they started from hum$le $eginnings' ser"ing as $allast for (hinese ships coming to America. @aking their A.3. agricultural de$ut in 1B!C for soy sauce' in"entors like >eorge Washington (ar"er and &enry 2ord em$raced soy$eans for plastics' printing inks and a range of industrial uses. +reams :ecome Deality :etween 1C)< and 1CB< the annual soy$ean har"est increased ele"enEfold. Today' America grows around three $illion $ushels of soy$eans and accounts for more than one Ethird of the worldFs soy$ean crop. #t represents a G1. $illion crop that strengthens our country0s $alance of trade while pro"iding a domino effect of Ho$ growth and prosperity. The dreams of our early architects of inno"ation are reality today. 2or example' soy$eans can $e grown in space. Their compact nutrition and fla"or "ariety is key to our astronauts. This small $ean continues to dream and achie"e I ena$ling soy to change our world. At << grams of protein per day' one acre of soy$eans can meet a person0s dietary protein needs for B')== days Okay now for the problem... #ts !=1/. Jou0re the owner of a soy$ean farm. Jou also raise guinea hens for food and insect control. The hens will eat grasshoppers and other insect pests' including ticks. This is good. :iological control of your pests will sa"e you money on chemical pesticides. The hens also act as watchdogs s1uawking a lot when intruders approach. Jou allow the hens to free range during the day in your fields and $ut at night' you pro"ide roosts for them to keep them safe. Use the following for your calculations. Show all work with units! Jou can li"e on 1 hen9day for a year 1 hen eats !< grasshoppers9day 5!< gh9day6 1=== gh ha"e a mass of 1 kg 1 gh re1uires a$out %=g soy9yr 1 human re1uires a$out .== gh9day +ry soy$eans ha"e pro"ide a$out %.% cal9g

1. (alculate the num$er of gh a hen needs to eat per year.

%.< K !< C1!<gh per year

2. &ow many gh are needed for a year0s supply of hens for you' the farmer
C1!<K%.< %%%=.!<gh

3. What is the total mass in kg' of the gh needed to feed all the hens for one year
%%%=.!<91=== %%%=..%kg

4. &ow many kg of soy$eans are needed to feed all the gh for one year
%'%%='.!<K 191=== CC'1CB./<kg

5. 3ources tell us that Lati"e American #ndians ate gh. 3o you can too? These early Americans could
collect a$out C= kg of gh per hour' when they were a$undant. &ow many people could the gh feed' compared to the one person that the hen fed 5Perhaps you could dip the gh in chocolate.6 C=91K 1=== C='===

..

Jou need to consume %=== calories9day. #f you ate only soy$eans how many grams of soy$eans would you ha"e to eat per day for calories alone

19%===K19%.<KCC'C1B./<91K%.%91K 1===91 %=1grams

/.

(ows produce a$out 1C kg protein9acre9year and soy produces !== kg of protein9acre9year. a. Which is more efficient to eat Why $. &a"e you e"er eaten a soy $urger 5"eggie $urger6 Why or why not

a. 3oy $ecause it produces more protein in the same amount of time $. # ha"e not' #F"e had soy milk $efore and surprisingly enough it was a lot sweater in my opinion than regular milk. #F"e ne"er had a soy $urger $ecause iF"e ne"er seen that on a menu.

B.

#n theory' the earth could support many more people if we ate at a lower trophic le"el. a. ,ist ! $enefits of doing this. 1. @ore natural resources !. &ealthier people

$. ,ist ! draw$acks of eating lower on the food chain. 1. There could $e a lack of the lower foods on the food chain $ecause so many people are eating it. !. Jou may not $e getting all the necessary nutrients.

c. What are some $enefits of $eing a "egetarian 1. Jou li"e a healthier life. !. #tFs a great way to lose weight %. Jou sa"e money depending on what and where you $uy your produce d. What are some draw$acks 1. #t can get $oring simply eating fruits and "egeta$les !.Jou may not get all the necessary nutrients

9.

And then there are fish to eat? ,arge predatory fish usually are found at the % rd or )th trophic le"el of an energy pyramid. What does this mean in terms of energy loss

That they hold less energy $ecause they are closer to the top of the trophic pyramids.

1=. ,arge predatory animals can also $e pro$lematic to eat $ecause of $ioaccumulation and $iomagnification of toxins such as lead or mercury in their ha$itats. What do those two $ig words mean and why should this $e considered when discussing food chains and trophic le"els

:ioaccumulation8 accumulation of su$stances such as pesticides or other organic chemicals in the organism. :iomagnification8 The concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely dis$ursed. This should $e considered in the trophic le"els $ecause if one organism is contaminated then it affects the other animals that consume it causing a chain reaction and a large pro$lem for the ecosystem. 11. +o you think a$out the food you eat Why or why not 3ometimes' $ut not as often as # should. Why not well it Hust ne"er really occurs to me and when it does # $egin to think more a$out the nutrients in it than where it came from.