Energy in ecosystems
QCAA Biology Syllabus 2019. U it 3 Topic 2
Syllabus objectives:
sequence and explain the transfer and transformation of solar energy into biomass as it flows through biotic components of an ecosystem, including
• converting light to chemical energy
• producing biomass and interacting with components of the carbon cycle
analyse and calculate energy transfer (food chains, webs and pyramids) and transformations within ecosystems, including
• loss of energy through radiation, reflection and absorption
• efficiencies of energy transfer from one trophic level to another
• biomass
construct and analyse simple energy-flow diagrams illustrating the movement of energy through ecosystems, including the productivity (gross and net) of the various trophic levels