Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem Food Chains, Food Webs, Energy Pyramids

4 Needs of All Living Things: Food Air Water Space (habitat)

6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight & chlorophyll C6H12O6 + 6O2 1. Begins with the SUN Photosynthesis 6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight & chlorophyll C6H12O6 + 6O2

The chemical reaction by which green plants use water and carbon dioxide and light from the sun to make glucose. ENERGY is stored in glucose; glucose is stored as starch.

2. Organisms that can make glucose during photosynthesis are called PRODUCERS.

Producers use most of the energy they make for themselves.

Producers use cellular respiration to supply the energy they need to live.

6O2 + C6H12O6 -->  6H2O + 6CO2 + energy CELLULAR RESPIRATION is the chemical reaction that releases the energy in glucose.

The energy that is not used by producers can be passed on to organisms that cannot make their own energy.

3. Organisms that cannot make their own energy are called CONSUMERS.

3. Consumers that eat producers to get energy: Are first order or primary consumers Are herbivores (plant-eaters)

Most of the energy the primary consumer gets from the producer is used by the consumer.

Some of the energy moves into the atmosphere as heat.

Some energy in the primary consumer is not lost to the atmosphere or used by the consumer itself. This energy is available for another consumer.

4. A consumer that eats another consumer for energy: Is called a secondary or second order consumer May be a carnivore- eats only animals or a herbivore- eats only plants or an omnivore- eats both plants and animals May be a predator- the hunter May be a scavenger- eats dead animals

Most of the energy the secondary consumer gets from the primary consumer is used by the secondary consumer.

Some of the energy is lost as heat, but some energy is stored and can passed on to another consumer.

5. A consumer that eats a consumer that already ate a consumer: Is called a third order or tertiary consumer May be a carnivore or a herbivore May be a predator May be a scavenger

Consumers that eat producers & other consumers Are called omnivores Omnivores eat plants and animals

6. Consumers that hunt & kill other consumers are called predators 6. Consumers that hunt & kill other consumers are called predators. The animals that are hunted & killed are called prey.

7. Consumers that eat other consumers that have already died are called scavengers.

8. The transfer of energy from sun to producer to primary consumer to secondary consumer to tertiary consumer can be shown in a FOOD CHAIN.

9. Food Chain Sun Producer 1st Level Consumer 2nd Level Consumer 3rd Level Consumer Decomposer 9. Food Chain

Green plants that produce their own food. Get energy from sun. Producer 1st Level Consumer 2nd Level Consumer 3rd Level Consumer Decomposer Eat plants. Break down dead & decaying plants/animals. Nutrients returned to soil. Eat animals that eat plants. Eat animals that eat animals.

Another way of showing the transfer of energy in an ecosystem is the ENERGY PYRAMID.

Flow of Energy 10. As you move through the food chain, the amount of energy decreases between each level. Let’s look at an energy pyramid.

http://manila.esu6.org/jpolak/picture$166

What do you notice about the population size as you go UP the pyramid? https://www.etap.org/demo/biology_files/lesson6/kep26.jpg

Energy pyramids show That the amount of available energy decreases down the food chain 11. It takes a large number of producers to support a small number of primary consumers It takes a large number of primary consumers to support a small number of secondary consumers

12. Food Webs: Are interconnected food chains They show the feeding relationships in an ecosystem

13. Ecosystems Ecosystem – made of living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things that interact in a particular environment What are different examples of ecosystems? forest, ocean, pond, desert, prairie, mountain What are the biotic & abiotic factors in one of these ecosytems?

Biotic & Abiotic Factors Biotic- Living Abiotic- Nonliving

5 levels of our environment Biome- the climate and types of plants and animals that are found in similar places in the world. Ecosystem – Within each biome are ecosystems. Community – A community is made up of the living components of the ecosystem Population – a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area Organism – a single individual animal, plant or other living thing

Limiting Factors Limiting factors- a factor or condition that prevents the continuing growth of a population in an ecosystem. Ex: Disease