Chapter 3: Section 2

What are the six major levels of organization, from smallest to largest, that ecologists commonly study? 1.________________________________ 2.________________________________ 3.________________________________ 4.________________________________ 5.________________________________ 6.________________________________ Bell Ringer

Predators and scavengers both are consumers that eat meat. What is the difference between them? __________________________________ __________________________________ Bell Ringer

Define and describe the role of primary producers Describe the ways consumers obtain energy and nutrients Daily Objectives

-Organisms need energy for growth, reproduction, and metabolic processes. -No organism can create energy— organisms can only use energy from other sources. Primary Producers

-For most life on Earth, sunlight is the ultimate energy source. (Photosynthesis) -Some organisms use chemical energy stored in inorganic chemical compounds as their energy source (Chemosynthesis) Primary Producers

-Autotrophs (producers) use solar or chemical energy to produce “food” by assembling inorganic compounds into complex organic molecules. -Autotrophs store energy in forms that make it available to other organisms that eat them.

There are 3 main types of feeding relationships 1. Producer - Consumer 2. Predator - Prey 3. Parasite - Host Feeding Relationships

-All autotrophs (plants), they trap energy from the sun. -Bottom of the food chain. Producers

-All heterotrophs: they ingest food containing the sun’s energy  Herbivores  Carnivores  Omnivores  Decomposers  Detrivores Consumers

- Eat plants in order to obtain energy Ex. Cow, Deer, Caterpillars Herbivores

-Eat meat to obtain energy -Example: Tiger and Shark Carnivores

Predators -Hunt prey animals for food. -Example: Fox Scavengers -Feed on dead organisms. -Example: Vulture Carnivores

Eat both plants and animals Ex. Humans, Bears, Pigs, and Raccoons Omnivores

-Breakdown dead and decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be absorbed Ex. Bacteria and Fungi Decomposers

Feed on detritus particles (bacteria in soil), often chewing or grinding them into smaller pieces. Example: Earthworms Detrivores