Trophic Levels Food chains

Life cannot exist without energy Where does all the energy on earth come from? How do you get energy?

Trophic levels in ecosystems Trophic levels: A way of categorizing living things from how they get their energy. 1st : producer 2nd :Primary consumer, 3rd : secondary consumer, 3 types of consumers: herbivore, carnivore and omnivore

1st Trophic Level: Producers Organisms that can produce their own food from the abiotic environment. (plants - photosynthesis) Photosynthesis

Consumers Consumers: Animals must consume - eat other organisms. (the biotic environment) to grow 3 types: herbivore carnivore omnivore 2 levels - 1st: primary consumer - 2nd: secondary consumer

Types of Consumers Herbivore: Animals that eat ONLY plants (producers). Carnivore: Animals that eat ONLY other animals. Omnivore: Animals that eat both plants AND animals.

2nd Trophic level Primary Consumer: An organism that relies on plants as its source of energy. All are herbivores They use the sugar that the plants made

3rd Trophic level Secondary consumers: An organism that relies on secondary consumers as its source of energy Eats other animals Can be Carnivores or Omnivores

Food chains A very simple representation of one set of feeding relationships in an ecosystem. A linear relationship: primary secondary producer -> consumer -> consumer (herbivore) (carnivore/omnivore)

Food chains The transfer of energy from organism to organism. The arrows show the flow of energy**

Impacts on changes to chain The impacts that major changes at one trophic level can have on the other levels What would happen if the Producer was removed? What would happen if a secondary consumer is removed?

Make Your Own Food Chain! Include at least 4 organisms Label the organisms as producer, Primary consumer-herbivore, Secondary consumer-carnivore, Secondary consumer-omnivore

Food webs show all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Living food web activity Pick an ecosystem Every student pick an organism Give one student an end to the string. Where does the chain go from here? Pass the ball of string to everyone involved in the ecosystem How many connections are there?