NOTES 33 – Habitat & Niche Where do organisms live and how do they get their energy?

Habitat – The place where an organism lives out its life Habitats are divided into separate niches

Niche – The role a species plays in a community Niche – The role a species plays in a community. This includes the space where it lives, food it eats, and the other ways a species affects its environment. A niche is kind of like an organism’s job

Stream Fish Niches

Barnacle Niches

Different Niches – organisms can be categorized into different niches based on how they get their energy Autotroph (producer) – an organism that makes its own food using energy from the sun Ex. plants make glucose

Different Niches – organisms can be categorized into different niches based on how they get their energy Heterotroph (consumer) – an organism that gets its energy by eating another organism Ex. animals, most bacteria, fungi

herbivore – a heterotroph that eats only plants Ex. Cow

carnivore – a heterotroph that hunts, kills, and eats animals Ex. Lion

Insectivore (Carnivore)

Insectivore (Carnivore)

Piscivore (Carnivore)

omnivore – a heterotroph that eats both plants and animals Ex. Human

scavenger – a heterotroph that eats dead organisms Ex. Vulture

decomposer – a heterotroph that gets energy by breaking down dead organisms into tiny nutrient molecules Ex. Bacteria

Without decomposers there would be piles of dead organisms everywhere!