Why can marine food chains have five trophic levels?
The phytoplankton producers are really small, very very numerous, and they reproduce rapidly. The first order consumers are also small and numerous. The second order consumers are rather small and numerous. Ditto the third order consumers (which should be small fish -- small fish eat krill and are eaten by seal)
Why do ecosystems have only 4-5 trophic levels?
Ecosystems can have only a limited number of trophic levels because at each level some of the available energy is lost, and those organisms higher up must eat more of those below them to get enough energy. By the 4th or 5th level there is not enough energy concentrated to support a higher trophic level.
What trophic level contains the greatest biomass in most ecosystems? Explain why it occurs?
Greatest biomass in first trophic level - the primary producers. This level is at the base of the food chain and has to be the greatest since all levels above depend on this. Energy lost in respiration,excretion at each level. Carnivores are secondary and tertiary level consumer.
Which trophic level has the least biomass?
Generally there are four trophic levels in a terrestrial ecosystem: 1. primary producers (green plants), 2. first order consumers (also secondary producers and called herbivores), 3. second order consumers (also tertiary producers; carnivores), and 4. third order consumers (also “producers”, top carnivores). Basically: plants make plants, herbivores consume plants and make herbivores, carnivores consume herbivores and make more carnivores, and finally, top carnivores consume carnivores … Of course it isn’t this “clean.” Because, for example, a wolf will eat berries (herbivore), and rabbits (carnivore), and weasels (top carnivore), ecologists will divide the energy proportionately into each corresponding trophic level.Because energy (biomass) is lost during each transfer and by each trophic level, very little biomass is left by the time top carnivores are involved. Thus the trophic level with the least biomass is the top carnivore. That’s why we see so few eagles, lions, and other top carnivores.
Biology Question: Trophic Level?
The easiest way to answer is with examples. a) Near the bottom of the trophic model are phytoplankton. They are the primary producers in many aquatic and marine ecosystems. If something comes through and kills of a lot if phytoplankton, then the organisms that feed on phytoplankton (mussels, many fishes, sea stars, shrimp, whales, etc.) will experience population losses from lack of food. In turn, things that feed on these organisms (otters, other fishes, dolphins, seals, etc) will experience population losses as well, and so on. Alternately, if phytoplankton populations increase, then each step on the ladder will also experience population increases, which leads us into part b. b) If higher trophic levels, lets use dolphins as an example, increase in population, then they'll need more food to survive. They'll decrease the population if the lower trophic level, say fish, which will, in turn allow the next lowest trophic level to increase, due to decreased predation. If we start in the middle, if fish increase, for example, then phytoplankton populations will decrease because there are more fish to eat them, but dolphin populations will increase because there's more food available. This will result in decline of the fish population because there's less food and more predators. Ultimately, it's all interrelated. You just have to think about it logically. What if there are less fish? What if there are fewer deer? What impact will that have on what eats the fish/deer? On what they eat? And so on.
In a marine ecosystem with an inverted biomass pyramid, which trophic level should have the smallest number of?
A normal biomass pyramid has the base largest on the bottom, and gets smaller as it goes up. Predators are at the top of this pyramid, and producers are at the bottom. Like this: /\ In an inverted biomass pyramid, it is opposite. The largest part of the pyramid is on the top, and it gets smaller as it goes down. Predators are at the top, and producers are at the bottom. Like this: \/ The lowest level of organisms from the ones you have provided are the phytoplankton. These would be at the bottom of the pyramid, meaning it contains the smallest number of organisms.
Why are there only four or five trophic levels in a food chain? Which law is supported by it, and by whom is the law given?
First, no one “gives” any law which leads to the trophic food chain; the trophic food chain is a simple function of the nature of life.The five levels are:Level 1: Plants and algae make their own food and are called producers.Level 2: Herbivores eat plants and are called primary consumers.Level 3: Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.Level 4: Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers.Level 5: Apex predators that have no predators are at the top of the food chain.These levels emerge as a simple matter of there not really being any other option that works. Basically, each level has a different means of gathering energy, and a different primary method of expending it. It is broadly very inefficient to have multiple strategies for gathering energy, which is why there are so few exclusive omnivores. Most species which are omnivorous are primarily either meat-eating or plant-eating, with limited exception (e.g. how gorillas eat meat occasionally).Part of the division is that, as determined by observation, the so-called ten-percent law means that each later converts about 10% of the energy of their food into organic tissue. This is the ecological efficiency of all life on earth. It’s possible for a planet to have a different efficiency, but obviously we’ve never observed it.Because of this ten-percent law, simple math makes it difficult to have more than five layers; plants convert about 1% of their absorbed sunlight into energy, so by the time you get to apex predators you’re down to about 0.001% of the original absorbed sunlight.
Why is energy flow linear in an ecosystem?
Energy stored in herbivores can further be transferred to carnivores (animal-eating animals). This sequence of energy transfer from plants to herbivores and then carnivores is called a food chain. Along the food chain, the number of transfers for the solar energy to reach an organism defines its trophic level. Plants therefore occupy the first trophic level, herbivores the second trophic level, and herbivore-eating carnivores the third trophic level. A species population can occupy more than one trophic level depending on the source of energy actually assimilated.Energy flow linear in ecosystem because energy flows from one level to another and energy decreases as it moves from layer to layer.
Describe a possible food chain involving a combination of at least 4 plants and animals in the ocean?
1) Phytoplankton being primary producer,zooplankton @ second trophic level,palnktonic mollusc - at third trophic level, zooplankton feeding fish @ 4th trophic level,Carnivorous fish @ 5th trophic level,Shark @ 6th trophic level. 2) Sea grass -@ primary producer level,seaturtle - @ second trophic level,Shark @ 3rd trophic level,Man @ 4th trophic level. 3) Detritus from plankton @ 1st trophic level,meiofauna consuming detritus @ 2nd level,Nereis consuming meiofauna @ 3rd level,skate @ 4th level,man @ 5th level.
10 POINTS Why are there only a small number of feeding levels in an ecosystem?
There are only a small number of feeding levels otherwise known as energy levels because only 10% of the energy below that level is passed on. Eventally the 10% would be so small if wouldn't be efficient to be that high up on the food chain, you would have to do a lot of eating to get enough energy.