1. Ecosystems and Energy
Biology

2. Vocabulary Autotroph Biomass Community Detritivore Energy Pyramid
Food Chain
Food Web
Heterotroph
Omnivore
Population
Trophic Level

3. What is Ecology ?
The study of how organisms interact with one another and their non-living environment

4. So Then What is an Ecosystem ?
Biosphere
Ecosystems
Communities
Populations
Organisms
Looking at the chart to the right..
Our BIOSPHERE is the part of the Earth where the organisms exist
And an ECOSYSTEM is that area where the living and non-living things interact.

5. So Then What is an Ecosystem ?
Biosphere
Ecosystems
Communities
Populations
Organisms
Looking at the chart to the right..
A COMMUNITY is different populations that live together in a defined area
And an POPULATION is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

6. Parts of an Ecosystem Examples are: • Plants • Animals • Fungi
An Ecosystem is made of BIOTIC and ABIOTIC parts
BIOTIC components are the living parts of the ecosystem
Examples are:
• Plants
• Animals
• Fungi
• Bacteria

7. Parts of an Ecosystem Examples are: • Water • Air • Temperature
An Ecosystem is made of BIOTIC and ABIOTIC Components
ABIOTIC components are the NON-living parts of the ecosystem
Examples are:
• Water
• Air
• Temperature
• Sunlight

8. Energy for the Ecosystems
Every ecosystem on Earth gets its energy from the same source:
The SUN !!!

9. Looking closely at Ecosystems
All Ecosystems are made of four components linked by the flow of energy.
These components are:
• Primary Producers
• Consumers
• Decomposers
• Abiotic Environment

10. Looking closely at Ecosystems
External energy source
PRIMARY
PRODUCERS
CONSUMERS
DECOMPOSERS
ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT

11. Primary Producers
Producers make their own food, from abiotic factors, such as sunlight or heat from chemical reactions.

12. Producers are also known as Autotrophs
Primary Producers
Producers are also known as Autotrophs
Some examples are:
• Plants
• Algae
• Bacteria

13. Consumers
Consumers are organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms

14. Consumers are also known as Heterotrophs
Consumers can be:
• Herbivores
• Carnivores
• Omnivores
• Detritivores (Decomposers)

15. Herbivores eat only plants.
Consumers
Herbivores eat only plants.
Herbivore Examples:
• Large Mammals (Such as cattle & deer)
• Insects

16. Carnivores eat other animals
Consumers
Carnivores eat other animals
Carnivore Examples:
• Lions, Tigers
• Wolves
• Sharks
• Snakes

17. Omnivores eat both plants and animals
Consumers
Omnivores eat both plants and animals
Omnivore Examples:
• Humans
• Bears
• Mice
• Pigs

18. Detritivores eat dead plants and animals (also called decomposers)
Consumers
Detritivores eat dead plants and animals (also called decomposers)
Detritivore Examples:
• Worms
• Beetles
• Bacteria
• Fungi

19. Food Chain
A Food Chain tells us what eats what in an ecosystem. It shows the series of organisms through which food energy is passed.

20. Food Chain The arrow means “is eaten by”
In this case the dragonfly is eaten by the frog.

21. Food Chain Remember… ALL food chains begin with a Producer
( Also known as an Autotroph)

22. Food Web In an ecosystem, there are many producers and consumers.
Instead of a food chain, we can use a food web.

23. Food Web
Humans
Blue whale
Sperm whale
Crabeater seal
Killer
whale
Elephant
seal
Leopard
Adélie
penguins
Petrel
Fish
Squid
Carnivorous plankton
Krill
Phytoplankton
Herbivorous
zooplankton
Emperor
penguin
A food web shows the complex relationship formed by the overlapping and interconnecting food chains.

24. To better understand a food web, we can look at an energy pyramid.
An energy pyramid is a way to graph how much energy is passed up the food chain from one organism to the next.

25. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Each layer of the pyramid is called a Trophic Level.
A Trophic Level is a level of nourishment in a food chain.

26. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
The pyramid first shows us the Producers.
Remember… Producers get their energy from the sun.
Producers are the first and largest Trophic Level.
Producers

27. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Second, we see the Primary Consumers
The Primary Consumers get their energy from eating the Producers.
Primary Consumers can be either Herbivores or Omnivores.
Primary Consumers

28. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Third, we see the Secondary Consumers
The Secondary Consumers get their energy from eating the Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers are Carnivores or Omnivores
Secondary Consumers

29. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Fourth, we see the Tertiary Consumers
The Tertiary Consumers get their energy from eating the Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Consumers are Carnivores or Omnivores
Tertiary Consumers

30. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Some energy pyramids can have a fifth Trophic Level.
Usually this fifth level is humans.

31. Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Biomass is the total amount of living tissue within each trophic level.

32. Energy Pyramid Let’s look at the energy pyramid closer.
Only 10% of the energy from the prior trophic level is passed on.
This is because energy is lost to the environment as heat

33. Energy Pyramid
If an energy pyramid consists of plants that contain 500,000 calories of food energy, how many calories of energy would be available to consumers at each of the next three trophic levels?
Trophic level
Primary producers
Tertiary consumers
Secondary consumers
Primary consumers

34. Energy Pyramid Primary Consumers: Secondary Consumers:
500,000 cal x .1 = 50,000 calories
Secondary Consumers:
50,000 cal x .1 = 5,000 calories
Tertiary Consumers:
5,000 cal x .1 = 500 calories
Trophic level
Primary producers
Tertiary consumers
Secondary consumers
Primary consumers

35. What does these energy numbers tell us??
Food Web
What does these energy numbers tell us??
There are very few Tertiary consumers, because it takes a HUGE amount of food energy to support them.
For a large population to exist, it needs to feed from the LOWEST trophic level possible, because there is more food energy available.
Trophic level
Primary producers
Tertiary consumers
Secondary consumers
Primary consumers

36. Besides the energy pyramid, we can also have pyramids of:
Other Pyramid types
Besides the energy pyramid, we can also have pyramids of:
Numbers
Biomass

37. Pyramid of Numbers
A pyramid of numbers reflects the number of species at each trophic level.
For example: if we look at a forest, there may be few rose bushes, but many insects that feed on the tree, with a pyramid like the one below.

38. For example: Looking at the same forest, the biomass is great.
Pyramid of Biomass
A pyramid of biomass reflects the total amount of living tissue at each trophic level.
For example: Looking at the same forest, the biomass is great.