Question

A bird eats sunflower seeds from a bird feeder on a snowy day. Of the 1000 J of energy that was in the consumed seeds, the bird stored 10 J of energy in its body, eliminated 150 J of energy in its waste, and used the remaining energy to respire. What is the production efficiency of this bird?

Answer 1

The production efficiency of the bird is calculated by dividing the energy stored in biomass by the energy consumed and then multiplying by 100%. Given the values, the production efficiency for the bird in this scenario is 1%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The production efficiency of an organism is defined as the percentage of energy stored as biomass (body tissue) compared to the energy consumed. In the given scenario, the bird consumed 1000 J of energy from sunflower seeds. Out of this, the bird stored 10 J of energy in its body, eliminated 150 J in its waste, and used the remainder for respiration. To calculate the production efficiency, we use the formula:

Production Efficiency = (Energy stored in biomass / Energy consumed) × 100%

Substituting the values we have:

Production Efficiency = (10 J / 1000 J) × 100%

Production Efficiency = 1%

This means the bird's production efficiency is very low. The bird has used the majority of the energy it consumed for immediate metabolic needs such as maintaining body heat and supporting basic physiological functions, which is particularly important on a cold, snowy day.