Energy Transfer Notes

Energy All living things are made up of matter, and all living things need energy. Energy is converted (changed) from one from to anther. The conversion of energy is important to all life on Earth.

Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers Energy is never lost, it is simply transferred and reused in various forms. The source of all energy for living thins is the sun.

Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers Producers are organisms tat can use the sun to make energy rich food molecules. Producers include: flowers, trees, algae Producers use two primary methods for converting energy to food Photosynthesis- light energy (from the sun) is changed to chemical energy (sugar molecules) Chemosynthesis- energy from chemicals is changed to food molecules (this takes place on the ocean floor where not light is available)

Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers Consumers are organisms that can not make their own food. Consumers get their energy indirectly from the sun: Herbivores eat plans Carnivores eat other animals Omnivores eat both!

Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers Decomposers are organisms that feed on dead matter. This allows nutrients/matter to be made available to the ecosystem. Examples are: bacteria, worms, slugs, and fungi Scavengers consumes the remains of dead animals.

Energy Transfer

Food Chains A food web is a simple way of showing how matter and energy pass from one organism to another. Producers are always the first step in a food chain. Animals that consume producers, primary consumers, are the second step in the food chain. Carnivore are the third and higher steps of the food chains. They are called secondary consumers. The position an organism hold within the food chain is called its’ trophic level.

Quaternary Consumer Quaternary Consumer Tertiary Consumer Tertiary Consumer Secondary Consumer Secondary Consumer Primary Consumer Primary Consumer Producer Producer

Food Chain A food web shows all the possible food chains among the organisms in the community. As food web is a more complete model of feeding relationships than a food chain.

Producers: Oak Acorns Pine Primary Consumers: Mouse Pine Borer Secondary Consumers: Salamander Snake Golden-Crowned Kinglet Red-Tailed Hawk Tertiary Consumers: Decomposers : Bacteria Fungi

Energy Pyramid An energy pyramid shows the energy flow in a community. The producers are always at the bottom. They have the most energy. A you move up the pyramid, each level becomes smaller. Only about 10% of the energy available at each feeding level is transferred to the next level. As you move up the food pyramid, organisms require more food to meet their energy needs because less is available to them.

Food Pyramid