Mitchell’s Ecosystem Presentation Mitchell Galluccio 9/18/11

Topics An Ecosystem & Ecosystem Examples Difference between Living & Non-Living Things Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers Types of Consumers; Carnivore, Omnivore, & Herbivore Examples of a Food Web & a Food Chain What I Learned

An Ecosystem All living and nonliving things that exist and interact in one place.

Ecosystem Examples A Forest A Polar Area A Desert A Rainforest A Prairie The Everglades A Coral Reef

Difference between Living & Non-Living Things Living things grow. Living things reproduce. Living things need nonliving to survive. Plants need soil to grow. Nonliving things do not grow. Nonliving things do not reproduce. Nonliving things do not need living things to exist. Water does not need animals to exist.

Producers A producer is any organism that makes its own food. Plants makes their own food from the sun’s light.

Consumers A consumer gets their food by eating plants or animals that eat plants.

Decomposers A decomposer is a living thing that breaks down the remains of dead organisms.

Carnivore A carnivore is an animal that only eats other animals. Snowy Owls, like many other birds, swallow their small prey (lemmings, deer mice, & meadow voles) whole

Omnivore An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. Kodiak brown bears eat seaweed, grass, large amounts of berries, pine nuts, moths, grubs, rodents, salmon and trout.

Herbivore An herbivore is an animal that eats only plants. Cape buffaloes may look like a big cow, but they are actually the most feared land herbivores in Africa.

Food Chain Example Producers (grass & flowers) live & grow and make their own food. Herbivores (field mouse) eat the grass & flowers. Carnivores (tabby cat) eat the field mouse. Decomposers (mushroom) breaks down the dead producers & consumers.

Food Web Example Two or more food chains overlap. Many producers, consumers (carnivores, omnivores, & herbivores), and decomposers all living together in the woods.

What I Learned Besides salmon & berries, Kodiak bears in Alaska also eat seaweed. Owls swallow their food whole. There is an ecosystem down the road; the Okefenokee Swamp. I learned how to use Microsoft PowerPoint. How to find pictures and put them into my PowerPoint slide.