4.6 Energy and substances in food chains

Understand the transfer of substances and of energy along a food chain

4.6 Energy and substances in food chains

Understand the transfer of substances and of energy along a food chain

Bush grass (producer) - Impala (primary consumer) - leopard (secondary consumer) - if ever eaten by lion (tertiary consumer)

Producer - converts light energy into chemical energy. Chemical energy takes form of organic molecules including carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. (Food to impala, leopard, and lion). These molecules are composed of:

C-H

C-O

C-C

O-H

C-N

All these bonds represent energy. (Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen are substances/matter)

As the bush grass photosynthesises, it creates organic molecules which are the substances which contain energy that came from sunlight. The impala consumes this for growth, respiration, and life processes. The cheetah then eats it and then processes these molecules by reorganising it.

Each stage of the food chain contains the substances of matter and energy (bonds between elements)