Lesson 1.3: Ecological Food Webs
Organizational Levels of Ecology: 1. Biosphere: the entire planet, including the land, ocean, and atmosphere, and all living things = WORLD 2. Biome: a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and organisms = COUNTRY 3. Ecosystem: a group of communities with interacting organisms through which energy is transferred = STATE
Organizational Levels of Ecology: 4. Community: a collection of different populations living and interacting within an ecosystem = TOWN 5. Population: a group of individuals (same species!) that live and interact within a community = HOUSE 6. Species: a single organism = INDIVIDUAL *Words in RED are the most important levels to study!
Energy Table: *Copy this table! Type of Organism Energy Source Example Autotroph/Producer Photosynthesis Giraffe Chemosynthesis Bacteria Heterotroph/Consumer Cellular Respiration Human
Ways to Get Energy: Producers are organisms capable of making their own food They can accomplish this two ways: Photosynthesis: Carbon dioxide + water + sunlight = oxygen + sugar Chemosynthesis: Carbon dioxide + water + hydrogen sulfide = oxygen + sugar + sulfur
Ways to Get Energy: Consumers are organisms that must eat to get their energy All heterotrophs accomplish this one way: Cellular Respiration: Converts food and oxygen into energy Oxygen + sugar = carbon dioxide + water + energy (*the opposite of photosynthesis!)
Ways to Get Energy: *Only copy what you don’t already know, but you will be tested on them ALL! Herbivore: eats plants (ex. Giraffe) Carnivore: eats meat (ex. Great White Shark) Omnivore: eats plants & meat (ex. Human) Decomposer: break down dead/decaying material and release energy back into the ecosystem (ex. Bacteria) Detritivore (or Scavenger): feed on broken down dead/decaying material to consume energy for themselves (ex. Vulture)
Energy Flow: A food chain is a single series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten. The arrows point to WHO gets the energy/food! *An example from the Florida Everglades is shown.
Energy Flow: A food web is a network of multiple feeding interactions within an ecosystem. *An example from the Antarctic Ocean is shown.
Energy Flow: Ecological Pyramids show the amount of energy contained within each trophic level within a food chain or web Primary producers will always be the 1st level Consumers will be all of the next levels above