Energy in Ecosystems MRS. PITTALUGA 8 TH GRADE SCIENCE

I can… Identify food chains within food webs and label the trophic levels to which each organism belongs. ◦NC Essential Standard – 8.L.3.3: Explain how the flow of energy within food webs is interconnected with the cycling of matter (including water, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen)

producers An organism that makes its own food through a chemical reaction – photosynthesis or chemosynthesis Also called autotrophs

consumers An organism that consumes other organisms for food Heterotrophs Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores

decomposer Organisms that break down the remains of dead organisms and other organic waste

Food Chain ◦Diagram that shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem ◦Grass  Rabbit  Snake  Hawk ─Arrows show direction the energy is moving ─Food chains always start with a plant ─Usually have only 3-5 levels ─Energy is lost when moving up the food chain. Trophic Levels: ◦The level an organism belongs to is determined by its distance from the producer ◦1 st Trophic Level – Producers ◦2 nd Trophic Level – Primary consumers ◦3 rd Trophic Level – Secondary consumers ◦4 th Trophic Level – Tertiary consumers

Food Web ◦More complex than a food chain ◦Shows all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level in a community ─More realistic than a food chain ─Most heterotrophs depend on more than one species for food or energy.

I can… Interpret an energy pyramid to determine what happens (and why it happens) to the amount of energy as you move up the trophic levels.

The Energy Pyramid The energy pyramid is a visual representation of the flow of energy within a community. It is designed to show the amount of biomass at each trophic level. Biomass is the amount of living or organic matter within an organism

10% Rule of Ecology An average of only 10% of the energy in one trophic level is passed to the next trophic level.

Energy Pyramid Foldable