Ecology Energy Flow

Autotrophs are producers, they can synthesize their own organic nutrients. They can do this by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Photosynthesis takes place in plants. Chemosynthesis takes place on the ocean floor. Chemosynthetic bacteria get energy and raw materials from vents called "smokers" on the ocean floor. Tube worms rely upon the bacteria that coexist with them to make food at the bottom of the ocean.

Heterotrophs are consumers, they must consume preformed organic nutrients synthesized by other organisms. "I MUST BE A HETEROTROPH, I CAN'T SYNTHESIZE THESE !!"

Examples of heterotrophs: Saprophytes are decomposers they eat dead or decaying material. Examples are mushrooms and bacteria of decay. Scavengers – eat carrion Herbivores- eat plants Carnivores- eat meat Omnivores- eat both plants and meat

Trophic Levels Producers-organisms that produce their own food (photosynthetic or chemosynthetic) Consumers-must eat other organisms: Primary consumers-eat producers Secondary consumers-eat primary consumers Tertiary consumers-eat secondary

Trophic Levels An energy pyramid provides a means of describing the feeding and energy relationships within a food chain or web.    Each step of an energy pyramid shows that some energy is stored in newly made structures of the organism which eats the preceding one.   The pyramid also shows that much of the energy is lost when one organism in a food chain eats another.   Most of this energy which is lost goes into the environment as heat energy.

or tertiary Producer organisms represent the greatest amount of living tissue or biomass at the bottom of the pyramid.   The organisms which occupy the rest of the pyramid belong to the feeding levels indicated in each step.     On average, each feeding level only contains 10% of the energy as the one below it, with the energy that is lost mostly being transformed to heat. 

A food chain indicates the transfer of energy from producers through a series of organisms which feed upon each other

The algae and plants are the producers. The aquatic crustaceans are primary consumers – they eat the producers. Fish are secondary consumers – they eat the primary consumers. The raccoons represent a 3rd level of consumer.

Food Webs A food web is a series of interrelated food chains which provides a more accurate picture of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem, as more than one thing will usually eat a particular species.    

"What shall I eat today...meat or veggies....."

SYMBIOSIS means "living together" Types of Symbiosis parasitism: the parasite benefits at the expense of the host mutualism: both organisms benefit from the association commensalism: one organism is benefited and the other is unharmed

The remora benefits from its’ association with the shark The remora benefits from its’ association with the shark. The shark is unaffected (commensalism)

The Clown fish and sea anemone both benefit from living together (mutualism)

This skin fluke causes tissue damage on the koi it attaches to This skin fluke causes tissue damage on the koi it attaches to. (parasitism)