Answer the following questions from the introduction information.
1 What are owl pellets?
2 What happens to the soft parts of the prey?
3 What is the purpose of the gizzard in the owl pellet formation?
4 Where does the pellet remain until it is expelled?
5 These pellets are not eliminated as but are regurgitated through the
6 List 6 other birds that are known to regurgitate pellets.
7 Of all the birds that are pellet ejectors, which type of bird is probably the most efficient at this process?
8 How many pellets does the common barn owl produce per day?
9 What color are the pellets when fresh?
10 Describe the appearance of a dry owl pellet.
11 The pellets are from what owl family?
12 Why are the pellets fumigated?
13 How do food webs and food chains differ?
14 Why does the number of organisms decrease as you move up the pyramid level?
15 In terms of energy flow in an ecosystem, why is the amount of energy passed from one trophic level to the next so small? Since we know energy cannot be destroyed, account for the loss of energy that occurs between the prey and the owl.
16 We know that about 50% of the energy in an organism is not digested by the consumer and is simply passed through as waste or feces. Is the energy stored in the feces lost to the ecosystem? Why or why not?
