A caterpillar eats leaves that hold 800 kJ of energy…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A caterpillar eats leaves that hold of energy. It egests in its faeces and uses in respiration. The rest goes into new body tissue. (This is an A-Level and IB topic and is not in the NEET syllabus.)
- How much energy does it assimilate?
- What is its secondary production?
- What is its production efficiency, which is the production divided by the assimilated energy? Give the answer to one decimal.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Secondary productivity is the rate of formation of new organic matter by consumers. Primary productivity depends on the species, the environmental factors, the nutrients and the photosynthetic capacity. The scarcest factor sets the rate. For an animal, and .
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. Eaten , egested , respired .
Plan. Take away the faeces, then the respiration.
Step 1. (a) .
Step 2. (b) .
Step 3. (c) .
Answer: ; ; .
Check. The faeces, the respiration and the production add up to the food eaten: .
Discussion (0)
Log in to join the discussion.
Loading…