Energy Pyramids

Sort the words into the correct level of this energy pyramid: Level 1 Producers Plants Autotrophs 1st Trophic Level Trees Level 2 Herbivores Primary Consumers Plant Eating Heterotrophs Rabbits 2nd Trophic Level Level 3 Omnivores Some Carnivores Secondary Consumers Plant and Meat Eating Heterotrophs 3rd Trophic Level Level 4 Top Carnivores Apex Predator Meat Eating Heterotrophs Only Tertiary Consumers 4th Trophic Level Use your notes from the last week to help you complete the blanks! An energy pyramid is a graphic representation of energy flowthrough an ecosystem. The base, or bottom, of the pyramid represents the most amount of available energy. Because of this the bottom of the pyramid also has the largest population. Each level above loses energy as it lives its life eating, competing, and going through life processes. They also lose energy to heat. Each level gets 10%of the energy from the level before it. The top of the pyramid has the least amount of available energy. Because of this the top of the pyramid has the smallest population. Use your notes from the last week to help you complete the blanks! The bottom of the pyramid is where you will find the producers. They make food using the sun. Because of this we know that these species include all of the plants. Since they are on the bottom this is the 1sttrophic level.The next level of the pyramid contains the primary consumers. They eat for energy. Because they eat the level before them, this makes them herbivores because they only consume plants. As the second level, they are the 2ndtrophic level.The 3rd level is going to contain secondary consumers. Just like the level before them, they also need to eat for energy. This level includes omnivores and carnivores. Because they are the 3rd level, they are the 3rd trophic level.The 4th level is going to contain tertiary consumers. They are all carnivores which means they eat meat for energy. When there is no 5th level, this is considered the top of the food chain. Because they are at this level of the pyramid, they are the 4th trophic level.Sometimes an energy pyramid will have a 5th level made up of quaternary consumers. When these species are here they are considered the apex predator. If they are here they would be the 5thtrophic level.Energy pyramids might also sometimes include the decomposers which break down dead material and recycle nutrients back into the soil. They would get their energy from every level of the pyramid.