1. February 27, 2008
Food Chains

2. The BIG Idea!!!! Living things capture and release energy
We use chemical energy that comes from the food we eat
Our food, at some point, originally received energy from the SUN
Because energy is continuously used by the activities of living things, it must be continuously replaced in the ecosystem

3. What is a food chain?
A model used to show the feeding relationship between a single producer and a chain of consumers in an ecosystem.

4. So…What is a “producer”?
An organism that captures energy and stores it in food as chemical energy
Producers take water and carbon dioxide from their environment and use energy from the sun to produce sugars (PHOTOSYNTHESIS)
Producers make energy available to all other living parts of the ecosystem
Examples?

5. What is a “consumer”?
An organism that gets energy by eating, or consuming, other organisms
They cannot produce their own food
Primary, secondary and tertiary describe the number of links between the producer and consumer
Examples?

6. What is a “decomposer”?
An organism that breaks down dead plant and animal matter into simpler compounds
The “clean up crew” of an ecosystem
Decomposers return matter to soil or water where it can be reused
Examples?