Tracking Energy through the Food Chain - How much energy do
you need to keep a wolf happy?
A short food chain is shown above. Calculate how much energy (in kcal)
is needed to support the growth of a single wolf for a year. Here are some
facts and assumptions that you will need to do this calculation.
-
A wolf puts only about 2 percent of its total yearly intake in kilocalories
into producing new growth. This amounts to about 8 kilograms of new tissue
per year (average for young and old wolves), which is equivalent to 10,000
kcal per year.
-
Deer put only about 1 percent of their total yearly intake in kilocalories
into producing new growth.
-
Plants put only about 0.5 percent of the sun's energy to which they are
exposed into producing new growth.
-
Assume that all of the intake for the wolf comes from deer (even though
you know, having seen the movie Never Cry Wolf, that wolves eat
a lot of mice).
Using this information, determine how many kcal of (solar) energy
is needed to support the growth of a single wolf for a year.