Chapter 1 Lesson 2 pgs. 32-37 EQ: What are producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community? Identify the members of a food chain.

Vocabulary Food chain: shows how energy passes from one organism to another in a food chain Producer: use the energy from sunlight to make their own food Consumer: can’t make their own food, they must eat other living things to get energy Decomposer: break down the tissues of other organisms to form nutrients that other living things can use Herbivore: animals that mainly eat plants Carnivore: animals that eat other animals Omnivore: an animal that eats both animals and plants

How do living things depend on one another? Living things need energy to live and grow. They get their energy from food. A food chain shows how energy passes from one organism to another in an ecosystem. Most food chains begin with ENERGY from the SUN. A plant is usually first in the chain, then an animal eats the plant. Next, an animal eats the plant eater. The chain continues until tiny living things break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil. The nutrients are used by the plants.

Food Chain https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/foodchains/ Game on the food chain: Click Me!

Producers All food chains depend on producers! Producers use the energy from sunlight to make their own food. Most producers are green plants (example: algae) Can you spot the PRODUCER?

Consumers Consumers CAN’T make their own food! They must eat (consume), other living things to get energy. All animals are consumers. Can you spot the consumer?

Decomposers Decomposers break down the tissues of other organisms. They make nutrients that other living things can use. They aren’t the end of the food chain, they are at each step. In time, ALL plants and animals become food for decomposers. Can you spot the decomposer?

Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

Food Chains The sun is the main source of energy on Earth! With each step along the food chain, matter and energy pass from one organism to another.

Herbivores We can classify (sort) consumers by the food they eat. Herbivores are animals that eat mainly plants. Can you think of other examples of herbivores?

Role Of Herbivores Producers are always first of the food chain and that means herbivores are second. They eat different parts of a plant-leaves, flowers, fruits, nuts, and roots. What would happen if there were too few producers? If food is scarce, some herbivores eat eggs or other proteins. Some herbivores might switch to a different kind of plant-or risk starving if food is scarce.

Which animal is the prey? Herbivores As Prey Herbivores can be food for other animals. An animal that is hunted by another animals for food is called prey. An animal that hunts another animal for food is called a predator. Both predators and prey are consumers and they must eat other living things for energy. Which animal is the prey?

Carnivores Carnivores are animals that eat other animals. Example: cats eat mice, hawks eat other birds, frogs eat insects. Can you think of an example?

Omnivores An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. Omnivores eat both producers and consumers. We (most of us) are called omnivores.

Scavengers Scavengers are consumers that feed on dead animals. Scavengers such as crows and ants help an ecosystem by clearing the ground of animal remains.

Different Decomposers Decomposers break down plant and animal matter. They help recycle nutrients in an ecosystem back into the soil. There are many kinds of decomposers. Examples: earthworms, fungi, mushrooms, yeast, molds, beetles, and flies.

Food Chains All food chains begin with the sun’s energy. Producers are the first link. Each chain has at least one consumer and decomposers occur at each step. Pond food chain might start with the algae that floats on water. Algae is food for the mayfly. A sunfish might eat the mayfly. A heron might then eat the sunfish. All the plants and animals in the pond will become food for decomposers. Food Chain Song Food Chain Video