Study Guide for Campbell Biology
11th Edition
ISBN: 9780134443775
Author: Lisa A. Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, Jane B. Reece, Martha R. Taylor, Michael A. Pollock
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Textbook Question
Chapter 54, Problem 13TYK
Why do most food chains consist of only three to five links?
- a. There are only five trophic levels: producers; primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers; and decomposers.
- b. Most communities are controlled bottom-up by mineral nutrient supply.
- c. According to the energetic hypothesis, the inefficiency of energy transfer from one trophic level to the next limits the number of links.
- d. According to the trophic cascade model, increasing the biomass of top trophic levels causes a decrease in the biomass of lower levels, so that the top levels are limited.
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
a. What factors cause energy to decrease with each trophic level?b. How is it possible for energy to be lost and the ecosystem to stillrun efficiently?c. Are the nutrients on the earth a renewable resource? Why or why not?
The direction of the arrows in a trophic chain (as the one in the figure below) represents...
A
E
O B) direction of movement of matter
O Both B and C
O A, B, and C
O A) direction of consumption, from higher level consumer to lower level consumer
O C) direction of movement of energy
O Both A and C
What does each pie slice represent?
a. Amount of energy available to support each trophic level
b. Amount of energy that can be converted to biomass at a higher trophic level
c. Amount of energy available from the sun
d. Inefficiency of energy flow from one trophic level to the next
Chapter 54 Solutions
Study Guide for Campbell Biology
Ch. 54 - When two spiny mouse species coexist, Acomys...Ch. 54 - Name the type of mimicry described in each of the...Ch. 54 - Name and give examples of the interspecific...Ch. 54 - Tide pool 1 has three species of sea urchins with...Ch. 54 - Prob. 5IQCh. 54 - Describe the effects of the alder stage on soil...Ch. 54 - Why would the fact that tropical communities are...Ch. 54 - a. How do the rates of immigration and extinction...Ch. 54 - Why are ecologists trapping and testing migrating...Ch. 54 - Complete the following concept map to organize...
Ch. 54 - Community ecologists develop models or hypotheses...Ch. 54 - Two allopatric species of Galapagos finches have...Ch. 54 - The greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena...Ch. 54 - Two other species of octopus (H. maculosa and H....Ch. 54 - Two species, A and B, occupy adjoining...Ch. 54 - Two shops in the same block are selling coffee and...Ch. 54 - A palatable (good-tasting) prey species may defend...Ch. 54 - Most humans are host to mites of the genus Demodex...Ch. 54 - The species richness of a community refers to the...Ch. 54 - You have a friend who is a strict vegan; that is,...Ch. 54 - Ecologists survey the tree species in two forest...Ch. 54 - When one species was removed from a tide pool, the...Ch. 54 - Invasive species often reach a large biomass...Ch. 54 - Why do most food chains consist of only three to...Ch. 54 - According to the top-down (trophic cascade) model...Ch. 54 - During succession, inhibition by early species a....Ch. 54 - According to the nonequilibrium model, a. chance...Ch. 54 - Which of the following shows a mismatch between...Ch. 54 - Prob. 18TYKCh. 54 - A major explanation for the decline in species...Ch. 54 - Prob. 20TYK
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, biology and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- The number of trophic levels an ecosystem can support is driven by… (select all that apply) A- The amount of energy available (primary productivity) B- The speed of nutrient cycling (decomposition) C- The population size of top predators in the ecosystem D- The efficiency of energy transfer across trophic levels E- The composition of the plant communityarrow_forwardWhich of the following statements BEST describes energy transfer in an ecosystem? A. If the primary producer has 175,000 kcal available, the secondary consumer will receive 17,500 kcal from the primary consumer. B. If the primary consumer has 175,000 kcal available, the secondary consumer will receive 17,500 kcal from the primary consumer. C. If the primary consumer has 175,000 kcal available, the tertiary consumer will receive 175 kcal from the secondary consumer. D. If the primary producer has 175,000 kcal available, the tertiary consumer will receive 17,500 kcal from the secondary consumer.arrow_forwardYou're studying two lakes in neighboring valleys in the Cascades. One lake has a food web with three trophic levels, and the other has a food web with five trophic levels. Which of the following is most likely true about these lakes? a. The lake with the longer food web likely has lower concentrations of nutrients like phosphorus. O b. The lake with the longer food web is more resilient to disturbances like a heat wave that stresses small fish (the middle trophic levels). C. Based on principles of trophic transfer, the lake with the longer food web should have higher net primary production. d. Based on principles of trophic transfer, the lake with the longer food web should have lower net primary production.arrow_forward
- The energy flow in the ecosystem is important to maintain an ecological balance. In this context, answer the following: (i) Explain why the flow of energy at different levels in an ecosystem is unidirectional and non-cyclic? (ii) Why is the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem limited?arrow_forwardDraw a food chain showing the relationships between these organisms, indicating the direction of the flow of energy. Which organism is at the top of this food chain? Calculate the standing crop biomass in each trophic level (C = A × B).arrow_forwardIn the following food chain, what biomass of phytoplankton will have been required to produce a 1 kg of big fish? Assume a typical figure for ecological efficiency. Phytoplankton eaten by Zooplankton eaten by Small fish eaten by Big fish A. 10 kg B. 10000 kg (10 metric tons) C. 100000 kg (100 metric tons) D. 100 kg E. 1000 kg (1 metric ton)arrow_forward
- The process of certain elements through different trophic levels is also called A. food chain B. biodiversity C. biogeochemical cyclingarrow_forwardIn an inverted trophic pyramid, biomass is present in the secondary carnivores than in the primary producers. Compared to terrestrial systems, aquatic systems are likely to feature inverted pyramids. A. more; much more B. more; about as C. more; much less D. less; much more E. less; much lessarrow_forwardThe total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called the: O A. Biomass O B. Energy mass C. Organic mass O D. Trophic massarrow_forward
- Assume the following strict trophic chain: mountain lions eat deer; deer eat black oak seedlings; lizards eat bugs, spiders eat bugs; bugs eat black oak seedlings. Which of the following statements is true? (choose one) A. The mountain lion is a tertiary consumer B. The deer is a secondary consumer C. The spiders are secondary consumers D. The lizards are primary consumersarrow_forwardThe number of carnivores found at the top of an ecological pyramid is limited by thea. number of organisms above the top carnivores.b. number of trophic levels below the producers.c. biomass of the decomposers.d. amount of energy transferred to the top carnivores.arrow_forwardTrophic levels Part A) In food chains and webs, what trophic level must you have more of than others. Part B) Each trophic level has how much LESS energy? Part C) Can an organism fill more than one trophic level? Explain your answer.arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
Microbial Nutrition and Growth; Author: Scientist Cindy;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK3UkyWjkl8;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY