Question

using your food web and/or trophic pyramid, answer #22-25. 22. if the grass has 25,000 kcal of energy, how much energy would be available for the rat and anteater? 23. explain what happens to population size as the trophic level increases. why? 24. what is the ultimate source of energy for the ecosystem? 25. what process is powered by the answer to #24? what type of organism performs this process?

Explanation:

Question 22:

Step1: Recall energy transfer rule

In a trophic pyramid, energy is transferred with about 10% efficiency (10% rule), meaning each trophic level gets ~10% of the energy from the level below. Grass (producer) to rat (primary consumer): 10% of 25,000 kcal.
$\text{Energy for rat} = 25000 \times 0.1 = 2500$ kcal.
Then rat to anteater (secondary consumer): 10% of rat's energy.
$\text{Energy for anteater} = 2500 \times 0.1 = 250$ kcal.

As trophic level increases, population size decreases. Reason: Energy transfer is inefficient (only ~10% per level). Higher trophic levels have less available energy, so fewer organisms can be supported (limiting resource: energy). Also, larger predators (higher trophic) need more energy, so smaller populations.

The ultimate energy source for most ecosystems is the Sun (solar energy). Producers (e.g., plants) use photosynthesis to convert solar energy into chemical energy (glucose), which flows through the food web.

Answer:

Rat: 2500 kcal, Anteater: 250 kcal

Question 23: