8.2.C—Explain how changes in energy availability affect populations, communities, and ecosystems

Explain how changes in energy availability affect populations, communities, and ecosystems.

• Changes in energy availability can result in changes in population size.
• Changes in energy availability can result in disruptions to an ecosystem.
  • i. A change in energy resources such as sunlight can affect the number and size of the trophic levels. Trophic levels include producers; primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary consumers; and decomposers.
  • ii. A change in the biomass or number of producers in a given geographic area can affect the number and size of other trophic levels.