 I can define a producer  I can give an example of a producer  I can define a consumer  I can give an example of a consumer  I can define a decomposer  I can give an example of a decomposer  I can identify a food chain  I can create a food chain  I can identify a food web  I can create a food web  I can explain why the arrows point the way they do on a food chain or food web

 Producer  Consumer  Decomposer  Food Chain  Food Web

There are several different roles in an ecosystem, just like at a school. The teacher has information that she wants to transfer to her students. In nature, we don’t track knowledge transfer, but we track energy transfer. Before we can learn to track the transfer of energy, we need to know who is whom? What are the roles?

 Producers are autotrophs - they make their own food  They are the source of all food in an ecosystem Flowers, trees, weeds, and grass are all producers!

 A consumer is an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms  Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and scavengers are all consumers

 Decomposers break down waste and dead organisms  This allows raw materials to be broken down and returned to the ecosystem, where they can be recycled and reused Fungus & Bacteria

If an ecosystem is to be self-sustaining, it must contain a flow of energy through these different parts… We use food chains and food webs to track this energy flow.

Food webs are much more complex. They are like rope webs… One organism can be connected to many other organisms, not just one in front and one behind.

Notice, instead of the snake just having 1 arrow to it and 1 arrow away from it, it has 5 arrows connected to it. Food webs are very complicated!

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