8

Science
Quarter 4 - Module 7
Week 7, Transfer of Energy Through
Trophic Levels
Science - Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 4- Transfer of Energy Through Tropic Levels
Revised Copy, 2021

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Published by the Department of Education – Division of Cebu City

Schools Division Superintendent: Rhea Mar A. Angtud, CESO VI

Development Team of the Module

Writer/Compiler/s: Karen Joy A. Pilapil, Teacher I, Guba National High School

Content Editors: Dr. Gemma A. Bendebel, Principal II, Lahug Night High School
Mr. Rommel C. Villahermosa, Assisting Principal Abellana National School

Language Editor: Mrs. Nenita Nacional, School Principal, Pasil Elementary School

Management Team: Dr. Rhea Mar A. Angtud, Schools Division Superintendent

Dr. Bernadette Susvilla, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Mrs. Grecia F. Bataluna, CID Chief
Dr. Raylene S. Manawatao, EPS-Science
Mrs. Vanessa L. Harayo, EPS LRMDS

Printed in the Philippines by: Department of Education – Division of Cebu City

Office Address: New Imus Avenue, Barangay Day-as Cebu City
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 Lesson
Transfer of Energy Through Trophic Levels

Quarter : Fourth Quarter

Content Standard : The learners should be able to state the one-way flow of
energy and the cycling of materials in an ecosystem.
Performance Standard : The learners should be able to make a poster comparing,
food choices based on the trophic levels.
Competency : The learners should be able to describe the transfer of
energy through the trophic levels.
Duration : Quarter 4, Week 7
Topic : Transfer of energy through trophic levels.

What I Need to Know

Organisms are classified using the hierarchical taxonomic system namely domain,
kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Scientists use this system of
classification to organize information and to understand why living things exist the way
they do in a particular environment. Also, this helps us understand the role of each
organism in the environment. All these organisms need energy to sustain life. Every
activity that organisms do in ecosystems - breathing, moving, running, burrowing,
growing—requires energy. The flow of energy is the most important factor that controls
what kind of organisms live in an ecosystem. In this module, you will learn how organisms
obtain energy.
Objectives:
1. Describe the transfer of energy through the trophic levels.
2. Explain how producers and consumers make the flow of energy possible
through ecosystems – food chains and food webs.
3. Determine the energy limit as the number of trophic levels that occur in a food
chain changes.

What I Know

Pre- assessment
Directions: Read and understand each question below. Write the letter of your answer
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What trophic level does grasshopper belong?
A. carnivores B. herbivores C. omnivores D. producers

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2. What is the correct order of how energy travels through an ecosystem?
A. carnivore-herbivore-producer-sun C. sun-producer-omnivore-herbivore
B. sun-producer-herbivore-carnivore D. sun-omnivore-carnivore-herbivore
3. Which part of the food chain absorbs the sun’s light and heat?
A. consumers B. herbivores C. omnivores D. producers
4. Which of the following types of consumers could be an herbivore?
A. carnivore B. producer C. primary consumer D. secondary consumer
5. What is the efficiency of energy transfer from a lower trophic level to the next
highest level?
A. 1% B. 10% C. 100% D. 1000%
6. What shape is represented by trophic levels?
A. circles B. lines C. pyramids D. squares
7. Which of the following statements about energy transfer in a food chain is
TRUE?
A. Only some of the light and heat from the sun is absorbed by producers.
B. The energy transfer in a food chain proceeds through a series of producers.
C. In food chain, energy moves both upward and downward through one biotic
element to another.
D. About 90% of the energy taken in by a food source is available to the
organism that consumes it.
8. Which of the following terms is described as the total mass of an organism in a
food chain or food web?
A. biomass B. energy C. numbers D. trophic level
9. Which choice CORRECTLY completes the following statement? As the food
chain gets longer, _____________.
A. fewer producers are available to create energy
B. more energy is available to each type of consumer
C. more omnivores are involved in the transfer of energy
D. less energy is transferred from one organism to the next
10. Which of the following statement is INCORRECT?
A. In every level, much energy is lost as heat.
B. Every time, energy is used in the processes of living and growing.
C. Most of the sun’s energy is available to the next level in a food chain.
D. The stored energy of an organism is available to organism that consumes it.
11. Which of the following organisms is MOST likely to be at the top of a pyramid?
A. grasshopper B. owl C. rabbit D. wheat
12. If producers in a food chain take in 1000kcal of energy, how much energy will
likely be passed on to the second trophic level?
A. 10kcal B. 50 kcal C. 100kcal D. 150kcal
13. Which trophic level has the LEAST biomass?
A. producers C. tertiary consumers
B. primary consumers D. secondary consumers

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 14. Why do energy pyramids and biomass pyramids usually have a similar shape?
A. Energy increases as it moves upward from one organism to another.
B. The amount of biomass on any level cannot be greater than the available
energy can support.
C. Producers and consumers receive the same amount of energy as it moves to
the next trophic level.
D. All of the above
15. Which of the following about food chain is FALSE?
A. At each step, less energy is available to the next consumer.
B. Food chains show how energy is transferred in an ecosystem.
C. Food chains show how energy and matter flow from one biotic element to
another.
D. The energy transfer in an ecosystem always ends with the sun and
producers.

What’s In
Let us Get Connected!
Directions: Define each vocabulary term in your own words. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. Biodiversity 2. Biotic components

- -

3. Endangered Species 4. Stability

- -

B. What is the importance of biodiversity to ecosystems?

______________________________________________________________________

What’s New
Activity 1

How do you identify the components of a food chain in an ecosystem?

Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. distinguish between producers and consumers.
2. analyze the transfer of energy from one organism to another.
3. construct a food chain in the given ecosystem.

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 Materials Needed:
an article about “Monfort Bat Cave”
sheet of paper

Procedure:
1. Read the article below about “Monfort Bat Cave” and answer the following
questions on a piece of paper.

The Island of Samal, part of Davao del Norte Province, is off the coast of Mindanao. In
this island is the Monfort Bat Cave which is approximately 245 feet (75 meters) long and has five
entrances. Bats cover 75 percent of its ceilings and walls. An estimated 1.8 million bats, the
largest known population of Geoffroy’s rousette fruit bats in the world, are overloading Monfort
Bat Cave on the Philippines’ Samal Island.

Photos courtesy of: Rodolfo S. Treyes, UP NISMED

Figure 1. Geoffroy’s rousette fruit bats clinging on walls and ceiling of the cave.

Geoffroy’s rousette fruit bats feed on fruit and nectar. Their role as pollinators and seed
dispersers is essential in sustaining Philippine forests, including such important commercial fruits
as durian. Each bat consumes 1½ to 3 times its body weight nightly in fruit and nectar. This
colony could consume 550 tons (500,000 kilograms) of nectar from durian and other trees,
pollinating an incredible number of flowers.
Worldwide, cave-dwelling bats are in alarming decline due to human disturbance and
destruction of their cave roosts. In some areas, including Samal Island, bats are captured and
eaten by humans. Colonies like the one in Monfort Bat Cave are now rare and in urgent need of
protection. Their loss would endanger the health of forests and human economies.
The bat’s colony should be able to survive natural predators – crows, rats, 10-foot (3-
meter) pythons and occasional monitor lizards – just as bat populations do elsewhere. Untamed
dogs and cats, however, also seem to do bat hunting at Monfort Bat Cave.

© Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org. Used with permission.

Questions:

Q1. What are the organisms found in the surrounding area of Monfort Bat Cave?

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Copy the table and list down the organisms on it.

Table 1. Organisms found in Monfort Bat Cave

Plants Animals

Q2. What group/s of organisms are considered as producers?

______________________________________________________________________

Q3. What part of the durian trees and other trees served as food for the bats?
______________________________________________________________________

Q4. The population of cave-dwelling bats is declining because they are being eaten by
other organisms. What are these organisms that feed on bats?
______________________________________________________________________

Q5. Among the organisms that feed on bats, are there organisms that possibly feed on
the predators of bats? Yes No

Q6. How do you categorize the organisms? Copy Table 2 and categorize the organisms
into producers, 1st order consumer and 2nd order consumer.
Table 2. Categories of organisms living in the Monfort Bat Cave

Producers 1st Order Consumer 2nd Order Consumer

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 Activity 2
Meat eaters vs. Plant eaters

In this activity, you are expected to analyze the transfer of biomass from the first
trophic level to the succeeding levels of food pyramid or food chain.

Directions: Study the pyramids of biomass (A & B) and answer the questions on a
sheet of paper.

A.
Q1. How much biomass of humans can 5 000 kg of corn support?

________________________________________________________________

B.
Q2. How much biomass of chicken can 5 000 kg of corn support?

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Q3. How much biomass of humans can the chicken support?
______________________________________________________________________

Q4. Which is more efficient in converting biomass of producers to biomass of

consumers – a meat eater or a plant eater? Give your explanation.
____________________________________________________________________________

What Is It

Some kinds of bacteria, and algae can convert energy from the sun into chemical
energy and store it as chemical energy known as food. This group of organisms is called
producer. The process is called photosynthesis; it uses water, carbon dioxide, and
sunlight. Most plants make much more food each day than they need. Excess glucose is
converted into starch by the plants and is stored either in the roots, stem, leaves, tubers,
seeds, or in fruits. The stored energy is transferred to other organisms for their survival.
When people and other organisms eat plants, chemical energy from food substances is
transferred to their bodies. Organisms that consume food for their energy supply are
called consumers.
Scientists study how energy moves through an ecosystem by assigning organisms
in that ecosystem to a specific level, called a trophic level. Energy moves from one
trophic level to another. This means that energy flows from one organism to another in
the ecosystem. The trophic level of an organism is the position it holds in a food chain.
Primary producers (organisms that make their own food from sunlight and/or chemical
energy from deep sea vents) are the base of every food chain - these organisms are
called autotrophs. Primary consumers are animals that eat primary producers; they are
also called herbivores (plant-eaters). Secondary consumers eat primary consumers.
They are carnivores (meat-eaters) and omnivores (animals that eat both animals and
plants). Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers. Quaternary consumers eat
tertiary consumers. Food chains "end" with top predators, animals that have little or no
natural enemies.

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Figure 1. Interconnected food chains comprise this simplified food web in a forest. Many organisms,
including the decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi are not shown in this food web.

When any organism dies, it is eventually eaten by detrivores (like vultures, worms
and crabs) and broken down by decomposers (mostly bacteria and fungi), and the
exchange of energy continues. In most ecosystems, energy does not follow simple
straight paths because individual animals often feed at several trophic levels. This
complex interconnected group of food chains is called a food web. For example, one
kind of food may be eaten by several consumers. Or several foods may be eaten by one
consumer. A simplified food web in a Philippine Forest.
In the case of the marine environment, food chains begin with microscopic algae
called phytoplankton. The algae are eaten by tiny sea animals called zooplankton,
which are in turn eaten by small fish, crustaceans, and a variety of other sea animals.
They, in turn, are eaten by larger organisms as shown below.

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 Figure 2. Simplified food web in the sea illustrates the interconnected feeding relationship
between sea organisms.

The food web includes a third group of organisms. Besides the producers and the
consumers, the food web shows the decomposers consisting of bacteria and fungi.
Decomposers act on dead organisms and change these to simple nutrients which plants
can use again.

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 Figure 3. The flow of food in this food web is from producers to
consumers to decomposers.

Food Pyramid
When organisms eat, they take in matter as well as energy into their bodies. For
example, when you eat chicken, the flesh of the chicken containing nutrients and energy
enters your body. You use the nutrients and energy to build muscles and other parts of
your body and to perform various activities. The transfer of matter expressed as biomass
and energy in food from one trophic level to another are not one hundred percent used.
Biomass is the total mass of organisms in a food chain or a food web. Not all plants or
animals at one level are eaten by organisms at the next level. Some parts of plants or
animals are not edible, for example, wood, peel of some fruits, some seeds, shells, and
bones. In addition, much of the energy is lost as heat. Only about 10% of biomass and
energy are transferred to the next level. This relationship between producers and
consumers can be demonstrated through a biomass pyramid and an energy pyramid. In
the case of the marine environment, the source of energy in the food chains is also the
sun. As food is passed along the food chain, only about 10% of the energy is transferred
to the next level. For example, only 10% of the energy phytoplankton received from the
Sun can be used by zooplankton at the next level. From one level to the next, about 90%
of the energy consumed by the previous level is lost as shown in the pyramid of biomass
and energy pyramid. Consequently, there must be a lot more organisms at the lower level
than at the upper levels.

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 Figure 4. The idealized pyramids of biomass and energy show
losses at each trophic level.

What do these pyramids demonstrate? Many producers at the base of the pyramid
will be needed to support only a few of the consumers at the top. The largest amount of
biomass and energy are at the base of the pyramid. A decrease or loss occurs at each
succeeding level. As shown in figure, 10 000 kg of plankton that photosynthesize are
needed to support only 1 000 kg of plankton that do not photosynthesize. Planktons that
photosynthesize are producers used as food by the planktons that do not
photosynthesize, the primary consumers. In turn, 1 000 kg of the primary consumers
would support only 100 kg of small fish, which in turn would sustain only 10 kg of lapu-
lapu. At the highest level are humans. Note that 10 kg of lapu-lapu would sustain only 1
kg of the biomass of humans. Due to the loss of biomass at each level, 10 000 kg of
plankton at the base of the pyramid would support only 1 kg of humans who are the top
consumers.

In the case of the energy pyramid, the energy of the plankton which are producers
at the base of the pyramid is also reduced and only 10% moves to the next level. This
loss goes on at every level until only 0.01% reaches the top consumers.

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What’s More
Study the figure below. Answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1.Name the (a) producer and (b)

consumers in this food web.
A. producer
___________________________
B. consumers
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
2. What animal/s eat/s rat?
____________________________
____________________________
3. What does hawk eat?
____________________________
____________________________

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 What I Have Learned
Directions: Match the words in column A with the definition in B. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

A B

1. ecosystem a. an organism that produces its

own food with the aid of sunlight

2. food chain b. network of feeding interactions

3. consumer c. graphical representation of energy

found within trophic level

4. food web d. breaks down organic material

5. biomass e. geographic area where plants, animals

and other organism work together

6. trophic level f. total mass of organisms in a food web

7. energy pyramid g. refers to any living component in an

ecosystem

8. decomposers h. series of organisms in which energy is

transferred to another

9. biotic component i. organism that consumes another for

food

10. producer j. each step in a food chain or food web

k. describes a non-living component

What I Can Do

Directions: Think of the food your family ate for supper last night. Make a food web
based on your meal on a separate sheet of paper and answer the questions below.
Questions:
1.To which group of organisms do you belong? ____________________
2. Which trophic level do you occupy? ______________________________

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 Assessment

Directions: Read and understand each question below. Write the letter of your answer
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is an interconnected food chain?

A. food court B. food line C. food pyramid D. food web
2. Which of the following is an example of decomposers?
A. bacteria B. fish C. plants D. seaweed
3. How do you describe a producer? An organism that ___________.
A. uses energy for food
B. uses sunlight to make its own food
C. gets energy from eating other organisms
D. gets energy from eating dead organisms
4. How do food webs differ from food chains?
A. Food web begins with animals and food chain begin with plants.
B. Food web rarely begin with plants and food chains begin with animals.
C. Food webs show the relationship between many different food chains in a
single ecosystem.
D. Food chains show the relationship between many different food webs in a
single ecosystem.
5. What is the main source of almost all energy in most ecosystem?
A. carbohydrates B. carbon dioxide C. sunlight D. water
6. What is food chain? It shows____________.
A. what organisms eat
B. the predator/prey relationship
C. the importance of sun’s energy
D. the transfer of energy between trophic levels
7. What organisms that exclusively feed on producers?
A. carnivores B. herbivores C. omnivores D. predators
8. At what trophic level does an owl belong if it eats a mouse that eats grass?
A. 1St level consumer C. producer
nd
B. 2 level consumer D. decomposer
9. How much of the carrot plant’s energy does a bunny get when it eats the plant?
A. 10% B. 25% C. 90% D. 100%
10. What statement about energy pyramid is TRUE?
A. Most food webs have only three or four feeding levels.
B. About half the energy at one level is transferred to the next.
C. The greatest amount of energy is available at the producer level.
D. At each higher level of the pyramid, there is more energy available.

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For numbers 11-14. Refer from the food chain below.

texasgateway.org

11. Which is the producer in the food chain?

A. frog B. hawk C. insect D. plant
12. Which is considered as secondary consumer?
A. frog B. hawk C. insect D. plant
13. What does a hawk eat?
A. frog B. hawk C. insect D. plant
14. How do you classify an insect?
A. producer C. secondary consumer
B. primary consumer D. tertiary consumer
15. How much energy does a frog gain when it eats the insect?
A. 100% B. 10% C. 1% D. 0.1%

Additional Activity

Directions: Analyze the diagram below. Answer the questions that follows on a
separate sheet of paper.

1.What does the arrow mean in a food

chain?
_________________________

2. Name the:
a. producer
_________________________
b. third trophic level
_________________________
c. tertiary consumer
_________________________

3. What is the role of decomposer?

___________________________
_________________________________
123rf.com _____________________

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References and Links

Campo, Pia C., et Al 2013, Science 8 Learner’s Module, First Edition. Philippines: Department
of Education.
Campo, Pia C., et Al 2013, Science 8 Teacher’s Guide, First Edition. Philippines: Department of
Education.
https://quizlet.com/269783424/biology-136-flash-cards/
(khanacademy.org, n.d.)
https://www.helpteaching.com/questions/Food_Chains_and_Webs?
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/endangered-species/

Images
https://www.google.com/search?q=food+web+sample+worksheet&sxsrf=ALeKk02jB_eY
3nblNhLGWCO86CT0We2hLA:1622101930218&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=T6dP
iS3CQIJsbM%252CenQgfJLd1VYcgM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-
kTpUwMpmZHZduxk4lZES9S11PSKqw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja2NvKsOnwAhVNA4gK
HYNhBtQQ9QF6BAgNEAE

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 18
What’s New
Organisms found in Monfort Bat Cave
Plants Animals
durian trees bats
other trees crows
rats
pythons
monitor lizards
dogs (untamed)
cats (untamed)
humans
2. In this situation, the durian trees and other trees are the producers, providing food to the bats.
3. nectar, fruits
4. crows, rats, pythons, monitor lizards, cats (untamed), dogs (untamed), humans
5. Among the organisms that feed on bats, are there organisms that possibly feed on the predators of bats?
Yes _ No
6.
Producers 1st Order Consumer 2nd Order Consumer
durian trees bats crows
other trees rats
pythons
monitor lizards
cats (untamed)
dogs (untamed)
humans
1. How much biomass of humans can 5000 kg of corn support?
Answer: 500 kg
2.How much biomass of chicken can 5000 kg of corn support?
Answer: 500 kg
3. How much biomass of humans can the chicken support?
Answer: 50 kg
4. Plant eater; the same biomass of producers (corn) can support a greater biomass of consumers (humans)
than if one were an animal eater. (Note: If each person has a mass of 50 kg. 5 000 kg of corn can support 10
plant eaters with a total mass of 500 kg and only 1 meal eats with mass of 50 kg.)
What’s In
1. Biodiversity 2. Biotic components
- variety of life in the world or in a - refers to the living things in an
particular habitat/ecosystem ecosystem such as plants and
animals.
3. Endangered Species 4. Stability
- type of organism that is threatened by - is the state of being resistant to
extinction. change
B. Biodiversity provides functioning ecosystems that supply oxygen, clean air and water, pollination of plants,
pest control, wastewater treatment and many ecosystem services.
Answer Key
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What’s More
1. A. tomato plant
A. rat, rabbit, goat, rattlesnake, owl, wildcat, fox, hawk, lion
2. owl, wildcat
3. rattlesnake, owl
What I Have Learned
1. E 6. J
2. H 7. C
3. I 8. D
4. B 9. G
5. F 10. A
Additional Activity
1. Arrows are used to show the feeding relationship between the animals.
2. A. plant/grass
B. frog
C. snake
3. Decomposers break down a chemical substance.