Energy Transfer Lab

Energy Transfer Lab

Objective: help students understand how energy is lost as it is consumed by other organisms higher in the food chain. This activity demonstrates how only 10% of energy is transferred to the next higher trophic level.

Materials:

·  15 Styrofoam cups

·  5 pencils/pens

·  5 graduated cylinders

·  5 large buckets (5 gallon)

·  2 small buckets (2-3 gallon)

·  large surface to play, outside

·  timer

·  paper to record results

Procedure:

Make 16 cups, 9 with two holes in each bottom (about the size of a pencil) and 10 with only one hole in the bottom. Label each cup as follows. All one holed cups should either be a producer or a primary consumer (1st consumer). All two holed cups should be secondary consumers and above.

·  Producer (A)

·  Producer (B) primary consumer (B)

·  Producer (C) primary consumer (C) 2nd consumer (C)

·  Producer (D) primary consumer (D) 2nd consumer (D) 3rd consumer (D)

·  Producer (E) 1st consumer (E) 2nd consumer (E) 3rd consumer (E) 4th consumer (E)

As students walk into the room, organize them into their food chains based on the supplies that you give them. First, hand out a cup to each person. After each cup has been dealt out, you need a scribe for group A, B, C, D, and E. These individuals you will hand a pen or pencil with the correct group label. You will then hand out your graduated cylinders; you will need a measurer in each group. Group A should have three members, group B-4, group C-5, group D-6 and group E-7. Each group will also need a large bucket full of water and a small empty bucket.

Students will be set up onto a flat surface as pictured below. The object is for the Producer to reach into the bucket and dip out a cup of water. (The water represents the ultimate source of energy, the sun.) They will then begin to transfer the water down the food chain until the last member of the food chain gets the water and pours it into the empty bucket. Students will be given 2 minutes to transfer as much energy down the food chain. At the end of two minutes, the measurer and the scribe will record the amount of water (energy) transferred into the bucket. The water will then be emptied back into the original bucket and the exercise repeated. Data should be gathered for at least three trials. Once the information has been gathered, students should return back inside with all of their materials and record their data into the class data table. The data will then be graphed using an excel spreadsheet.

Important

In order for this simulation to produce accurate results, it is imperative that the students do not cover up the holes in the bottom of their cups as the water is being transferred.