Biology: Food Chains and Cycles - Revision Cards in GCSE Biology

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Created by: Anna Jones
Created on: 01-05-12 09:32

Definitions

Producers: Green plants- they make food through photosynthesis

Primary Consumers: Usually eat plant material- they are herbivores

Secondary consumers: Usually eat animal material- they are carnivores

Predators: Kill for food- either secondary or tertiary consumers

Prey: The animals predators feed on

Scavengers: Feed on dead animals

Decomposers: Feed on dead and decaying organisms, and on the undigested parts of plant and animal matter in faeces

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Definitions

Photosynthesis: Chemical change that occurs in leaves of green plants- light energy converts carbon dioxide and water to glucose

Pyramid of Biomass: Diagram to illustrate amount of biological material within food chain or web

Respiration: Chemical change that takes place in living cells- glucose and oxygen to energy

Food Chain: A sequence of feeding relationships between organisms, showing who eats what and the movement of energy

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Energy Transfer

Energy transferred along food chain one stage to next

Not all energy available at one stage can be absorbed at next one

Some of available energy goes into growth and offspring- available to next stage

Energy is lost in waste materials, such as faeces

Energy released by respiration is used for movement and other life processes, and is eventually lost as heat to the surroundings

Food chains are usually short because energy is lost at each stage

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Efficiency of Food Production

To improve efficiency you should reduce energy lost to surroundings
- prevent animals from moving too much
- keeping surroundings warm

Balance must be reached between needs of farmers and consumers and welfare of animals

Food production is more efficient if the food chain is short because a higher percentage of energy is available to us

To calculate energy efficiency you make the amount of energy available over the amount of original energy into a percentage

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