Name:____________________________________________________Date:_____________Period:_____________
25,000 Gram Pyramid
(hosted by Dick Clark)
An ecological pyramid is a diagram which shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained
within each trophic level of a food chain or food web.
You are going to be creating a three-dimensional ecological pyramid that represents the three different
types of ecological pyramid. You will create your pyramid on the attached template. Be sure to follow all
directions accurately and completely.
General Steps
1.
Gather scissors, paste colored pencils. Some items may be needed to be shared
2.
Use the scissors to cut out the pyramid template. Be sure to only cut along the solid lines on
the outside of the pyramid. Do not cut in or through any of the lines.
First Flap Steps
1.
On the first flap, draw a diagram of an energy pyramid.
2.
Include in your drawing arrows and the capture of light energy by the primary consumers.
3.
Also include in your drawing labels of the percentage of energy captured by producers, primary
level consumers, second level consumers, and third-level consumers.
Second Flap Steps
1.
On the second flap, draw a diagram of a pyramid of numbers.
2.
Make sure that you drawing shows the decreasing numbers of organisms as you move up the
ecological pyramid (increase in trophic levels).
3.
Be sure to include in your drawing a total of 20 flowering and grassy plants, 10 mice , rabbits,
and crickets, 5 snakes, and one eagle/hawk. .
Third flap steps
1.
2.
3.
Final Steps
1.
On the third flap, create your own energy pyramid.
Choose your producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer
Add them to your pyramid
On the base of the pyramid, write your answers to the following three questions:
A.
What happens to the amount of energy available if you increase the number of trophic
levels?
B.
What would eating more chicken do to the number of producers in a community?
C.
What would support more human tissue, eating chicken, or eating grains?
Now, you will take the folds of the pyramid and put them together. Take the tabs and glue or tape them to
the inside of the adjacent flap. Soon you will have your 3-D ecological pyramid!