Energy Transfer Outdoor Bucket Lab printable pdf download

Energy Transfer Outdoor Bucket Lab

How is Energy Transferred Within a Food Chain?

Objectives: In this lab, you will model the flow of energy through a food chain by passing a quantity of

water along a chain of students. When you have finished this lab, you will be able to demonstrate how

energy is transferred along a food chain. You will be able to model one type of interaction among

species in a food chain.

Materials: five gallon bucket filled with water, 1 plastic cup per student (with one or two pencil-sized

holes in the center of the bottom), 1 two-liter plastic bottle with the neck cut away (end container), 1

tag (sticker/labels) per student with species name, marking pencils, ruler.

Pre-lab Discussion: One of the most important concepts in ecology is the flow of energy through

ecosystems. Energy flow takes place through the food web and is often thought of as moving from

organism to organism, or from species to species, in food chains.

The energy that an organism at one level of a food chain obtains from an organism it has eaten is called

assimilated energy. Assimilated energy follows these routes:

1. Some of the energy is converted to heat during routine metabolism and various activities

(walking, running, jumping, flying, mating, etc.).

2. The rest of the assimilated energy is used to support growth or is stored until needed. This

energy becomes available to a consumer at the next level of the food chain.

Some of the energy in an organism eaten by a consumer does not become available to the consumer.

This energy is referred to as unassimilated energy. There are two major forms of unassimilated energy

in food chains:

1. Parts of consumed organisms discarded during feeding, such as bones and hides.

2. Undigested food that passes completely through the consumer’s digestive tract become

feces.

This lab uses interactions within groups of students to simulate the transfer of energy in a food chain.

You will not be rquired to transfer calories of energy to one another; instead you will transfer quantities

of water in cups. You will compare the results of the transfer among food chains for different length.

Safety precautions: Take care when transferring the water. Do not trip or fall and get hurt. Do not

drink water from any containers used in this lab!

INDOOR PROCEDURE

A. Constructing a Food Chain (should be done indoors)

1. Form as many groups as possible consisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 students each. Each group will receive

a set of tags with the names of plant or animal species.

2. Using the tags, construct a realistic food chain and decide who will wear each tag. Before wearing

your tag, write a number on it representing your link number in your group’s food chain. (Students

working alone: wear the name of a plant and write the number 1.)

3. Check your food chain and link numbers before moving on to part B.

Energy Transfer Outdoor Bucket Lab