Question

In the ecological interactions lab activity, each small graduated cylinder (10 mL) represented a small organism. Combining four of these would represent a larger animal consuming four smaller animals. In an ecosystem, the volume of water will decrease as it is used by the animals (evaporation, released with nitrogenous waste). Explain how this will affect the concentration of oil from one trophic level to the next.

Answer 1

As water (energy) is lost in an ecosystem, oil (contaminants) becomes more concentrated in higher trophic levels, representing biomagnification and the dangers of pollution.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an ecological interactions lab activity where the volume of water represents the energy available in an ecosystem, if water evaporates or is lost due to consumption and waste, the concentration of oil, which could symbolize persistent environmental contaminants, would increase from one trophic level to the next. This is analogous to biomagnification, where chemicals like pesticides or heavy metals become more concentrated as they move up food chains.

In the context of energy transfer, only about 10% of energy is passed from one trophic level to the higher one, leading to less biomass and fewer organisms at higher levels. Therefore, as the volume of water decreases, symbolizing energy used, the oil would represent an increasing concentration of contaminants in organisms at higher trophic levels, showing the potentially harmful impacts of pollution within ecosystems.