I like this video very much and it allows me to recap on food chains, energy requirements and the connections among living things! I really like the diagrams inside the song!
Previously, I had a hard time understanding food chains but now I can understand it better.
I have learnt: -More about primary consumers -Each level in a food chain yields only ten percent of the former level's energy. -When energy passes through the food chain, it gets dissipated. -Nutrients get recycled and are consumed again.
Oh, the only thing I don't quite understand was the lines "There are bones and leaves you can't digest that really make a dent. And don't ignore the weighty cost of metabolic rent." What does it mean?
You have asked a fabulous and perceptive question! Let me explain the lyrics for you.
When an organism --think of a cow, for example -- eats something, it has to use a lot of the energy in that food just to keep itself alive. All of that energy gets radiated into the environment as heat. As a result, the food that an animal eats isn't available to organisms in the next trophic level. The food that keeps you alive is the "metabolic rent" and it's a big chunk of the 90% of energy lost from one level to the next.
I like this video very much and it allows me to recap on food chains, energy requirements and the connections among living things! I really like the diagrams inside the song!
ReplyDeletePreviously, I had a hard time understanding food chains but now I can understand it better.
I have learnt:
-More about primary consumers
-Each level in a food chain yields only ten percent of the former level's energy.
-When energy passes through the food chain, it gets dissipated.
-Nutrients get recycled and are consumed again.
Oh, the only thing I don't quite understand was the lines "There are bones and leaves you can't digest that really make a dent. And don't ignore the weighty cost of metabolic rent." What does it mean?
It's great that you've enjoyed the video.
ReplyDeleteYou have asked a fabulous and perceptive question! Let me explain the lyrics for you.
When an organism --think of a cow, for example -- eats something, it has to use a lot of the energy in that food just to keep itself alive. All of that energy gets radiated into the environment as heat. As a result, the food that an animal eats isn't available to organisms in the next trophic level. The food that keeps you alive is the "metabolic rent" and it's a big chunk of the 90% of energy lost from one level to the next.