1. Section 2: Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem
Autotrophs capture energy, making it available for all members of a food web. K
What I Know W
What I Want to Find Out L
What I Learned

2. Essential Questions
What are the producers and consumers in an ecosystem?
How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
What are food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramid models?
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

3. Vocabulary Review New energy autotroph heterotroph herbivore carnivore
omnivore
detritivore
trophic level
food chain
food web
biomass
Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem
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4. Energy in an Ecosystem Autotrophs
An autotroph is an organism that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to make food.
Autotrophs are the foundation of all ecosystems because the make energy available for all other organisms.
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

5. Energy in an Ecosystem Heterotrophs
A heterotroph, or consumer, is an organism that gets its energy by consuming other organisms.
An herbivore eats only plants
A carnivore eats animals
An omnivore eats both plants and animals
A detritivore eats fragments of dead matter
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

6. Models of Energy Flow
Food chains and food webs model the energy flow through an ecosystem.
Each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level.
Organisms at each level get their energy from the trophic level below them.
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

7. Models of Energy Flow Food chains
A food chain is a simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem.
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

8. Models of Energy Flow Food webs
A food web is a model representing the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows through a group of organisms.
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

9. Add link to concepts in motion animation from page 43 here.
Desert Community Food Web
Animation
FPO
Add link to concepts in motion animation from page 43 here.
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

10. Models of Energy Flow Ecological pyramids
An ecological pyramid is a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level.
Biomass is the total mass of living matter at each trophic level.
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Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

11. Review Essential Questions Vocabulary
What are the producers and consumers in an ecosystem?
How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
What are food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramid models?
Vocabulary
autotroph
heterotroph
herbivore
carnivore
omnivore
detritivore
trophic level
food chain
food web
biomass
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education
Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem