In a sea food chain, phytoplankton store 20 000 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.
In a sea food chain, phytoplankton store kJ of energy. The chain is phytoplankton → small fish → big fish → fish eagle. With the ten per cent law, how much energy reaches the big fish, and how much the fish eagle?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Energy enters from the Sun; plants capture about 1% of it. About 10% of the energy passes from one trophic level to the next, and the rest is lost, mostly as heat, so energy flows one way and chains are short. Non-biodegradable chemicals build up along a chain (biological magnification), most at the top.
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.
Step 1. Small fish. kJ.
Step 2. Big fish. kJ.
Step 3. Fish eagle. kJ.
Answer: kJ reaches the big fish and kJ the fish eagle.
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