8

Science
Quarter 4 - Week 5 – Module 5B
ENERGY TRANSFER THROUGH
AN ECOSYSTEM

AIRs - LM
Science 8
Quarter No 4 – Week 5 - Module 5B: Energy Transfer Through An
Ecosystem
First Edition, 2021
Copyright © 2021
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Oscar D. Gatchalian, Ph.D., P II

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team
Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos, Jr., P II

Management Team:

Atty. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent

Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph.D

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

German E. Flora, Ph.D, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Rominel Sobremonte, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of Science

Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II

Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II

 Target

Do you know that living things need energy to grow, breathe, reproduce, and
move? That Energy cannot be created from nothing, so it must be transferred
through the ecosystem? That the primary source of energy for almost every
ecosystem on Earth is the sun?

This module will help you describe the food chain, food web and energy
transfer in an ecosystem. Through this module, it is hoped that you will be
encouraged to further take care of and protect our environment integrating the
United Nations Sustainable goals no. 14 and 15 Life below water and life on land, to
ensure the balance of the ecosystem.

Most Essential Learning Competency

• Describe the transfer of energy through the trophic levels (S8LT-IVi-22)

Objectives
• explain the connections within a food chain, as well as how producers and
consumers interact for energy flow through an ecosystem; and
• differentiate food chain and food web; and
• discuss the importance of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an
ecosystem, and identify the consequences of their absence in energy flow.
• explain how the transfer of energy through the tropic levels.
Pre-Test
Multiple Choice. Read the following questions and write the letter of your answer
on a separate sheet of paper. Label your paper Quarter 4 Module 5B Pre-test.

______1. What is the original source of almost all the energy in most ecosystems?
A. carbohydrates B. water C. sunlight D. Carbon

______2. Which among the organism that uses energy to produce its own food
supply from inorganic compounds?
A. Heterotroph B. Detritivore C. Consumer D. Autotroph

______3. What do you call an organism that cannot make its own food?
A. heterotroph B. autotroph. C. Chemotroph D. Producer

______4. How decomposers Organisms obtained nutrients?

A. By breaking down dead and decaying plants and animals
B. By eating carnivores.
C. By getting nutrients directly from the sun.
D. By eating producers only.

______5. Which of the following describes the interconnected feeding relationships

in an ecosystem?
A. Food interaction B. Food network C. Food chain. D. Food web.

______6. What is the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level?
A. organic mass. B. energy mass C. trophic mass D. Biomass

______7. What is an ecological model of the relationships that form a network of

complex interactions among organisms in a community from
producers to decomposers?
A. food web B. food chain C. an ecosystem D. a population

______8. What is the term for each step in the transfer of energy and matter within
a food web?
A. energy path B. trophic level C. food chain D. food pyramid

______9. A bird stalks, kills, and then eats an insect. Based on its behavior, which
ecological terms describe the bird?
A. herbivore, decomposer C. carnivore, consumer
B. producer, heterotroph D. autotroph, herbivore

_____10. A snake that eats a frog that has eaten an insect that fed on a plant is a _
A. first-level producer C. second-level producer
B. first-level consumer D. third-level consumer

_____11. Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to

the next trophic level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the
organism’s life processes, and the rest is _____.
A. used in reproduction. C. stored as fat
B. stored as body tissue D. eliminated as heat
_____12. Most of the energy available to a consumer trophic level is used by
organisms for ____.
A. transfer to the next trophic level.
B. respiration, movement, and reproduction.
C. producing inorganic chemical compounds.
D. performing photosynthesis

_____13. Which type of pyramid shows the amount of living tissue at each trophic
level in an ecosystem?
A. a numbers pyramid B. a biomass pyramid
C. an energy pyramid D. a food pyramid

_____14. What is an organism that feeds only on plants called?

A. carnivore B. omnivore C. herbivore D. detritivore

_____15.

Algae zooplankton small fishes

shark squid

(Photo taken at Google Free Clip/ Images)

What do we call the algae at the beginning of the food chain in the
illustration?
A. consumers. B. producers. C. decomposers. D. heterotrophs.
 Lesson
ENERGY TRANSFER THROUGH AN
1 ECOSYSTEM

For you to understand the lesson well, do the following activities. Have fun and
good luck! Are you ready? Let’s start!

Jumpstart
Activity 1: Who Eats What

Directions: Analyze the food chains below. Write the correct word in the box (or in
your answer sheets, then label them.

This arrow means eaten by.

1.
Algae Fish

2.

Caterpillar Bird

3.
Pond Weed Fish Bird

(Photo taken at Google Free Clip/ Images)

Now I Know! Food Chains show who eats what!

Producers or plants and small animals often get eaten by larger animals.
 Discover

Energy for life begins with the Sun. Green plants use raw materials and light from
the sun to make glucose. Energy is stored in the molecules of glucose. Producers
(autotrophs) can make glucose during photosynthesis. Producers keep and use most
of the energy they make for themselves. Producers use cellular respiration to supply
the energy for their life functions. The energy that is not used by producers can be
passed on to organisms that cannot make their own energy.
The chemical energy of food is the main source of energy required by all living
organisms. This energy is transmitted to different trophic levels along the food chain.
This energy flow is based on two different laws of thermodynamics:

• First law of thermodynamics, that states that energy can neither be created
nor destroyed, it can only change from one form to another.
• Second law of thermodynamics, that states that as energy is transferred more
and more of it is wasted.
Primary producers use energy from the sun to produce their own food in the form
of glucose, and then primary producers are eaten by primary consumers that are in
turn eaten by secondary consumers, and so on, so that energy flows from one trophic
level, or level of the food chain, to the next. The easiest way to demonstrate this
energy flow is with a food chain. Each link in the chain represents a new trophic
level, and the arrows show energy being passed along the chain. At the bottom of a
food chain is always the primary producer. In terrestrial ecosystems most primary
producers are plants, and in marine ecosystems, most primary producers
are phytoplankton. Both produce most the nutrients and energy needed to support
the rest of the food chain in their respective ecosystems.

All the biomass generated by primary producers is called gross primary

productivity or total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level. Net primary
productivity is what is left over after the primary producer has used the energy it
needs for respiration. This is the portion that is available to be consumed by the
primary consumers and passed up the food chain. In terrestrial ecosystems, primary
productivity is highest in warm, wet places with plenty of sunlight, like tropical forest
regions. In contrast, deserts have the lowest primary productivity. In marine
ecosystems, primary productivity is highest in shallow, nutrient rich waters, such as
coral reefs and algal beds.

To show the flow of energy through ecosystems, food chains are sometimes drawn
as energy pyramids. Each step of the pyramid represents a different trophic level,
starting with primary producers at the bottom. The width of each step represents the
rate of energy flow through each trophic level. The steps get smaller further up the
pyramid because some of that energy is changed to a form that cannot be consumed
by organism at the next higher step in the food chain. This happens at every step of
the pyramid.

Not all of the energy generated or consumed in one trophic level will be available
to the organisms in the next higher trophic level. At each level, some of the biomass
consumed is excreted as waste, some energy is changed to heat (and therefore
unavailable for consumption) during respiration, and some plants and animals die
without being eaten (meaning their biomass is not passed on to the next consumer).
The waste and dead matter are broken down by decomposers and the nutrients are
recycled into the soil to be taken up again by plants, but most of the energy is
changed to heat during this process. On average, only about 10 percent of energy
stored as biomass in a trophic level is passed from one level to the next. This is
known as “the 10 percent rule” and it limits the number of trophic levels an
ecosystem can support.

The energy flow in the ecosystem is one of the major factors that support the
survival of such a great number of organisms. For almost all organisms on earth, the
primary source of energy is solar energy. It is amusing to find that we receive less
than 50 per cent of the sun’s effective radiation on earth. When we say effective
radiation, we mean the radiation, which can be used by plants to carry out
photosynthesis.
The energy flow takes place via the food chain and food web. During the process
of energy flow in the ecosystem, plants being the producers absorb sunlight with the
help of the chloroplasts and a part of it is transformed into chemical energy in the
process of photosynthesis.
This energy is stored in various organic products in the plants and passed on to
the primary consumers in the food chain when the herbivores consume (primary
consumers) the plants as food. Then conversion of chemical energy stored in plant
products into kinetic energy occurs, degradation of energy will occur through its
conversion into heat.
Secondary consumer on the other hand follows. When these herbivores are
ingested by carnivores of the first order (secondary consumers) further degradation
will occur. Finally, when tertiary consumers consume the carnivores, energy will
again be degraded. Thus, the energy flow is unidirectional in nature.
Moreover, in a food chain, the energy flow follows the 10 percent law. According
to this law, only 10 percent of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the
other; rest is lost into the atmosphere. This is clearly explained in the following
figure and is represented as an energy pyramid on the other page.
 (Photo taken at Google Free Clip/ Images)

Trophic level
Another way of showing the transfer of energy in an ecosystem is the
ENERGY PYRAMID. Energy pyramids show;

• That the amount of available energy decreases down the food chain.
Energy pyramids show;
• It takes a large number of producers to support a smaller number of
primary consumers;
• It takes a large number of primary consumers to support a smaller
number of secondary consumer.
 The producers and consumers in the ecosystem can be arranged into different
feeding groups and are known as trophic level or the feeding level.

1. The producers (plants) represent the first trophic level.

2. Herbivores (primary consumers) present the second trophic level.
3. Primary carnivores (secondary consumers) represent the third trophic level
4. Top carnivores (tertiary consumers) represent the last level.

Consumers (heterotrophs) are organisms that cannot make their own energy.
Consumers that eat producers to get energy are called first order or primary
consumers. They are herbivores (plant-eaters). Most of the energy the primary
consumer gets from the producer is used by the consumer. Some of the energy moves
into the atmosphere as heat. Energy (in the primary consumer) that is not lost to the
atmosphere or used by the consumer itself can be passed on. This energy is available
for another consumer. A consumer that eats other consumer for energy is called a
secondary or second order consumer. Consumers may either be a carnivore or an
omnivore, a predator or a scavenger.

Most of the energy the secondary consumer gets (from the primary consumer)
is used by the secondary consumer. Some of the energy is lost as heat, but some
energy is stored and can pass on to the next consumer. A consumer that eats a
consumer that already ate a consumer is called a third order or tertiary consumer.
They maybe a carnivore or an omnivore, a predator or a scavenger too.

Consumers that eat producers & other consumers are called omnivores.
Omnivores eat plants and animals. Consumers that hunt & kill other consumers are
called predators. The animals that are hunted & killed are called prey. Consumers
that eat other consumers that have already died are called scavengers.

Organisms that is able to break down large molecules into smaller parts.
Decomposers return the nutrients that are in a living thing to the soil. They consume
dead plants and animals and decomposes them-reduces them to simple form of
matter. Examples of decomposers are fungi and bacteria.

Food Chain and Food Web

The transfer of energy from sun to producer to primary consumer to secondary

consumer to tertiary consumer can be shown in a FOOD CHAIN.

There are basically three different types of food chains in the ecosystem, namely –

• Grazing food chain (GFC) – This is the normal food chain that we observe in
which plants are the producers and the energy flows from the producers to
the herbivores (primary consumers), then to carnivores (secondary
consumers) and so on.
• Saprophytic or Detritus food chain (DFC) – In this type of food chain, the dead
organic matter occupies the lowermost level of the food chain, followed by the
decomposers and so on.
 • Parasitic food chains (PFC) – In this type of food chain, large organisms either
the producer or the consumer is exploited and therefore the food passes to the
smaller organism.

In nature, we mostly observe food web as there are many organisms which are
omnivores. As a result, they occupy multiple trophic levels. Food Webs are
interconnected food chains. They show the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Food Web

(Photo taken at Google Free Clip/ Images)

 Explore

To master these concepts, here is some enrichment

activities prepared for you! Keep going!

Activity 1: Interconnectedness!

1. Make at least 5 food chains based from the given food web below.
2. Differentiate food chain and food web.

(Photo taken at www.mathworksheets4kids.com Free Clip/ Images)

 Deepen
To further deepen your understanding on Energy transfer
through an ecosystem, let us try to do this activity.

(Photo taken at www.mathworksheets4kids.com Free Clip/ Images)

 Gauge

Multiple Choice. Read the following questions and write the letter of your answer
on a separate sheet of paper. Label your paper Quarter 4 Module
5B Gauge.

______1. One way of showing the transfer of energy in an ecosystem is the Energy
Pyramid. Which of the followings does energy pyramids show?
A. That the amount of available energy decreases down the food
chain. Energy pyramids show.
B. It takes a large number of producers to support a smaller number
of primary consumers.
C. It takes a large number of primary consumers to support a
smaller number of secondary consumer.
D. All of the above

______2. Which of the following kind of food chain that shows a normal food chain
that we observe in which plants are the producers and the energy flows
from the producers to the herbivores (primary consumers), then to
carnivores (secondary consumers) and so on?
A. Grazing food chain (GFC)
B. Saprophytic or Detritus food chain (DFC)
C. Parasitic food chain (PFC).
D. None of the above

______3. What organisms represent the first trophic level?

A. Producers B. Consumers C. Decomposers D. All of the above

______4. Which of the following organisms return the nutrients that are in a living
thing to the soil?
A. Consumers B. Decomposers C. Producers D. None of the above

______5. What do you call a consumer that eats a consumer that already ate a
consumer?
A. Producers B. Secondary Consumers
C. Tertiary Consumers D. Decomposers

______6. How do decomposers obtained nutrients?

A. By eating producers only.
B. By breaking down dead and decaying plants and animals
C. By eating carnivores.
D. By getting nutrients directly from the sun.

______7. Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to

the next trophic level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the
organism’s life processes, and the rest is _____.
A. stored as fat B. used in reproduction
C. stored as body tissue D. eliminated as heat
______8. A consumer gets energy by doing what?
A. Making it themselves.
B. Breaking down biotic wastes and dead organisms and returning
raw materials to the ecosystem.
C. Soaking it up from the ground.
D. Feeding on other organisms.

______9. Which of the following describes a food chain?

A. Overlapping food chains in an ecosystem.
B. The amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to
another in a food web.
C. A series of events in which one organism eats another and
obtains energy.
D. Biotic and abiotic factors in an area.

_____10. What do you call a diagram shows the amount of energy that moves
from one feeding level to another in a food web.
A. Energy Pyramid B. Food Web C. Ecosystem D. Food Chain

_____11. What does a food web consist of?

A. Many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem.
B. A series of events in which one organism eats another and
obtains energy.
C. Amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another.
D. Many types of insects.

_____12. Which of these is always located at the bottom of an energy pyramid?

A. Producers B. Second-Level Carnivores
C. Herbivores D. First-Level Consumers.

_____13. What most likely happen first if you remove a primary consumer from the
ecosystem?
A. There would be more food for secondary consumers.
B. The number of primary consumers would increase.
C. The number of plants would increase.
D. The number of secondary consumers would increase.
_____14. What does this diagram display?

(Photo taken at Google Free Clip/ Images)

A. The predator-prey relationship between vertebrates
B. The movement of energy throughout an ecosystem
C. The changing types of organisms in a forest
D. The standard lifespan of trees and animals

_____15. The grass that the mice eat contains energy. What is the source of energy
for the grass?
A. Rainwater B. The Sun C. The soil D. Minerals

Congratulations!!! You did very well in this module!!!

 Gauge
1. D 6. B 11. A
2. A 7. D 12. A
3. A 8. D 13. C
4. B 9. C 14. B
5. C 10. A 15. B
Deepen
1. Five (5)
2. Hawk
3. Butterfly, frog, fox, snake, and owl
4. Primary producer/ Producer/ Autotrophs
5. Grass grasshopper frog snake hawk
Explore
1. Any of the following;
A. Tomato plant goat fox lion
B. Tomato plant rabbit fox lion
C. Tomato plant rat wildcat lion
D. Tomato plant rat owl hawk
E. Tomato plant rattlesnake hawk
F. Tomato plant rabbit wildcat lion
G. Tomato plant goat lion
H. Tomato plant rabbit wildcat lion
2. A food web consists of many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
while a food chain is a series of events in which one organism eats another
and obtains energy.
Jumpstart Pretest
1. Human/Bird/ Large Fishes such as sharks 1. C 6. D 11. D
2. Plants (Any Kind) 2. D 7. A 12. A
3. Zooplanktons 3. A 8. B 13. C
4. A 9. C 14. C
5. D 10. D 15. C
Answer Key
References

A. Books

Daniel, Lucy et. al. (2005). Life Science. 936 Eastwind Drive, Westerville, Ohio:
Glencoe Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Publishing.

Rabago, Lilia M. et. al. (2003). Dynamic Science: An Integration of Physical and
Biological Sciences. 1253 G. Araneta Ave. Quezon City : Vibal Publishing House,
Inc.

Wright, Jill et. al (2001). Life Science. 07632 Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Prentice
Hall, Inc.

B. Government Publications

Science 8 Learner’s Material, First Edition (2015). Interactions.

C. Online and Electronic Sources

“Food Web-Printable Worksheets.” Accessed February 11, 2021.

https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/science/food-chain/color/energy-
pyramid-chart.pdf

“Energy Flow in Ecosystem” Accessed February 12, 2021.

https://byjus.com/biology/energy-flow-in-ecosystem/#energy-flow

“Energy transfer in Ecosystem” Accessed February 12,

2021.https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/energy-transfer-
ecosystems/