Autotrophs A groups of organisms that can use the energy in sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into Glucose (food) – They use the process of PHOTOSYNTHESIS. Examples = plants and algae Autotrophs are also called Producers because they produce all of the food that consumers/heterotrophs have to eat Without autotrophs, there would be no life on this planet

Autotrophs

Heterotrophs Organisms that do not make their own food Another term for Heterotroph is consumer because they consume other organisms in order to live Ex. Rabbits, Deer, Mushrooms

Heterotrophs Do fungi eat?????

Heterotrophs Consumers –Herbivores – eat ONLY plants Ex. – Cows, Elephants, Giraffes

Herbivores are animals that only eat plants. Herbivores can also be called PRIMARY CONSUMERS because they are the first (primary) things in the food chain to eat (consume).

Insects eat plants Insects eat plants. Fish, frogs, and birds eat the insects that eat the plants. This begins the food chain.

Some animals eat plants. We call them ______________ or primary ______________

Heterotrophs Consumers – Carnivores – eat ONLY meat Ex. – Lions, Tigers, Sharks

Birds, Animals and People Eat Fish Birds and other animals eat the fish. The fish eat the plants and insects. People eat fish too.

Carnivores are animals that eat meat. Carnivores will also eat animals that eat plants.

Some animals eat other animals. We call them _____________ or secondary ___________ If they had to HUNT for their PREY then they are called __________

Heterotrophs Consumers –Omnivores – eat BOTH plants and animals Ex. – Bears and Humans

Omnivores Omnivores will eat both plants and animals. Some animals eat both plants and meat. People are omnivores

Some will eat both plants and animals. What do we call them?

Heterotrophs Consumers –Decomposers – “eat” absorb any dead material and break it down into simple nutrients or fertilizers Ex. – Bacteria and Mushrooms

A Food Chain or a food web? Plant Insects Fish Frog Bear People

Just like we need food to help our bodies grow and live, all plants and animals need food to survive. Who eats what? Animals eat many different kinds of foods including other animals, fish, nuts and seeds, tree leaves and branches, and grass. Who eats what?

What do they eat?

USE THESE WORDS Herbivore Carnivore Omnivore Primary consumer Secondary consumer

A food chain shows what animals eat. Grasshopper Barn owl Fox NOTICE THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROW! It show the direction of the TRANSFER OF ENERGY. It shows the path that the energy takes.

All food chains begin with the sun. WHY? Name the important process and describe what is happening in that process seeds plants Animals ? Explain how the sun’s energy gets INTO the animals

Can you make a food chain?

Food Chain Order in which animals eat plants and other animals. Each part of a food chain is a link connected to other links.

Transfer of Energy When a zebra eats the grass, it does not obtain all of the energy the grass has (much of it is not eaten) When a lion eats a zebra, it does not get all of the energy from the zebra (much of it is lost as heat)

Transfer of Energy The two (2) previous examples of energy transfer show that no organism EVER receives all of the energy from the organism they just ate Only 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next – this is called the 10% law

Trophic Levels Energy moves from one organisms to another when it is eaten Each step in this transfer of energy is know as a trophic level –The main trophic levels are producers, consumers, and decomposers

Food Chains The energy flow from one trophic level to the other is know as a food chain A food chain is simple and direct It involves one organism at each trophic level –Primary Consumers – eat autotrophs (producers) –Secondary Consumers – eat the primary consumers –Tertiary Consumers – eat the secondary consumers –Decomposers – bacteria and fungi that break down dead organisms and recycle the material back into the environment

Food Chain

Ecological Pyramid

Which level has the most energy? Which level has the most organisms? Which level has the least organisms? Which level has the least energy?

Symbiosis A close and permanent association between organisms of different species –Commensalism : +/0 = one organism benefits, the other is not affected Example: Barnacles on a whale –Mutualism: +/+ = both organisms benefit from each other Example: Birds eating pest off a rhino’s back –Parasitism: +/- = one organism benefits and the other is harmed Example: Ticks on a dog