Energy flows…(and is lost) Matter cycles…(and is returned to living things by decomposers) Decomposers: eat dead materials ex. Bacteria, fungi, worms

all energy come from: the SUN!!! without plants, nothing else could exist

Producers Determine the size of the community More producers = more consumers The most mass in an ecosystem The most energy in an ecosystem

Food Chain Show how energy passes from one organism to another Arrow represents energy flow Arrow = “gives energy to”

Food Web Food chains connected together

Energy always flows from producers to consumers Life creates a pyramid when converting energy

As you move up the pyramid: Energy Pyramid: Shows the amount of energy available at each trophic level As you move up the pyramid: Organisms lose 90% of their energy to heat Only 10% of energy is passed on Ex: an organism on one trophic level needs to eat 10x more than an organism one trophic level below

Matter: Wolf Deer Grass Decomposers Shown in food chain/web All mass (matter) ends up being decomposed and reused by producers in the soil as nutrients Wolf Deer Grass Decomposers