Energy Flow 3-2 Biology Flora

Producers Producers/autotrophs – organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce it’s own food Ex: plants Photosynthesizing bacteria Photosynthesis – process by which autotrophs use light energy to power reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates Chemosynthesis – using chemical energy to produce carbohydrates

Consumers Consumer/Heterotrophs – organisms that rely on other organisms for their source of energy Types of consumers: Herbivore – eat plants Carnivore – eat meat Omnivore – eats plants and meat Detritivores – feed on plant and animal remains Decomposers – break down organic matter

Feeding Relationships Sun/Inorganic Compounds → Autotrophs → Heterotrophs Food Chains – series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten Ex: grass → grasshopper → bird → coyote → bear “Arrow goes where the food flows” Ex: figure 3-7 – page 69

Cont. Feeding Relationships Each step of the food chain is known as a trophic level Producers make up the first trophic level Consumers make up the 2nd, 3rd, and higher trophic levels Each consumer depends on the trophic level below it for energy. Food Web – network of interactions formed by feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem. Links all the food chains together.

Ecological Pyramids Ecological Pyramid – diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained in each trophic level of a food chain or web.

Ecological Pyramids 3 types Energy Pyramid – Shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level 10 % energy carry-over between each trophic level Biomass Pyramid – shows the total amount of living organic matter within a trophic level Pyramid of Numbers – Shows the number of individual organisms at each trophic level