Kami Export - Energy Transfer in Living Organisms-S.1620741141.pdf

Energy Transfer in Living Organisms 1
Energy Transfer in Living Organisms
How does energy move through an organism?
Why?
The law of conservation of energy states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed; it can only be
transferred to another form. In living things energy is transferred as organic matter (molecules of carbohy-
drate, fats, starch, etc.). But does an organism use all of the energy that is provided by the organic matter
available? How is the law of conservation of energy applied to living organisms?
Model 1 – Food Conversion in a Herbivore
Herbivore A
Biomass increase/day: 0.64 g
Egested waste/day: 2.4 g
Grass ingested/day: 4.0 g
1. According to Model 1, how many grams of grass does herbivore A eat each day?
2. Refer to Model 1.
a. How much did herbivore A grow from eating this grass?
b. What term is used to represent growth in Model 1?
3. What is meant by “egested waste” as it is used in Model 1?
4. Is all of the mass of the ingested grass accounted for in the growth and waste of herbivore A? If
not, how much is “missing”? Show a mathematical calculation to support your answer.

2 POGIL
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Activities for High School Biology