Food Webs in Action Chapter 16 SC.912.L.17.9: Use a food web to identify and distinguish producers consumers, and decomposers.

Organisms that produce sugars inside their cells are called producers. Producers are also called autotrophs.

Organisms that are dependent on producers to make food are called consumers. Consumers are also called heterotrophs.

Scavengers are animals that feed on dead organic matter.

Benthic means at or near the seafloor. Dead consumers are broken down into detritus – organic particles that provides nutrition for benthic organisms. Benthic means at or near the seafloor.

lifeforms that break down dead organisms and convert them back into nutrients available to the ecosystem are called decomposers. Decomposers are typically bacteria and fungi.

SunProducersConsumers A food chain is a simple way to picture how energy moves through an ecosystem. SunProducersConsumers

Food webs are a result of overlapping food chains because organisms may have more than one food source or predator.

Each step in a food chain is called a trophic level.

Producers make up the first trophic level (think phytoplankton and marine plants). Consumers that eat producers are called primary consumers.(Think small fish) Consumers that eat primary consumers are called secondary consumers. (Think sharks and octopus).

Only about 10% of the energy from each trophic level is available to the next trophic level.

Molecules and compounds necessary for marine life: Proteins, Carbohydrates, Nucleic Acids, Lipids, Vitamins, Minerals.

Proteins are biomolecules made of amino acids and provide structure to organisms. Some also act as enzymes.

Carbohydrates are biomolecules made of sugars and provide structure and a source of energy to organisms.

Nucleic Acids are biomolecules made of nucleotides and store genetic information.

Lipids (fats) are biomolecules made of fatty acids and glycerols used to store energy and provide structure to cell membranes.

Vitamins (vital amines) are compounds necessary for carrying out metabolic processes. Example: Vitamin D is necessary for your body to absorb calcium for strong bones.

minerals are inorganic elements necessary for carrying out metabolic processes. Example: Without iron, a fish could not carry oxygen from its gills to its tiny brain.

Like vital amine D and iron, nitrogen is also necessary for life Like vital amine D and iron, nitrogen is also necessary for life. The process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms is called the nitrogen cycle.

Atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used by most organisms to live Atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used by most organisms to live. This is where nitrogen fixation comes in. Nitrogen Fixation: the conversion of elemental nitrogen into useable nitrogen compounds