G8.C4.W6

Ecosystem Energy & Stability

MS-LS2-1 · MS-LS2-3 · What happens when you remove a species from a food web?

Instructions

Driving Question: How does energy flow through food webs, and what makes ecosystems stable?

1. Toggle species on/off to build your food web.

2. Set sunlight energy — this is the total energy entering the system.

3. Click Simulate to watch energy flow and populations stabilize.

4. Remove a species to see trophic cascades — how one change ripples through the web.

500 kJ
Food Web & Energy Flow
Energy Pyramid

Ecosystem Metrics

Species Count:9
Biodiversity Index:High
Total Energy:500 kJ
Producer Energy:500 kJ
Top Predator Energy:0.5 kJ
Stability:Stable

Synthesis Concepts

10% Rule: only ~10% of energy transfers to the next trophic level
Trophic cascade: removing one species causes ripple effects
Biodiversity: more species = more stable ecosystem
Energy pyramid: producers always have the most energy
Data JournalTrial 0
# Species BioDex Total kJ Prod kJ Top kJ Stable
Data Journal — Record & Analyze Your Experiments
#Sunlight energy inputObservation
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Predict

If you remove all insects, predict what will happen to bird populations and then hawk populations. How many trophic levels are affected?

Observe

Build a full food web, then remove one producer. Compare the energy pyramid before and after. Which trophic level loses the most energy?

Explain

Why can an ecosystem never support more predator energy than producer energy? Use the 10% rule to explain why food chains rarely have more than 4-5 levels.