Energy Flow in Ecosystems Essential Questions: What are energy roles in an ecosystem? How does energy move through an ecosystem?

My Planet Diary- Reading Prompt Discuss the questions on your packet with your row neighbors. Answer them on the spaces provided. 1. What are two reasons the wolves might eat fish in Autumn instead of moose or deer? 2. What effect could overfishing salmon have on an ecosystem?

What are energy roles in an ecosystem? Most energy that organisms need comes from the sun. Plants make their own food energy from the sun by photosynthesis. All living things that can make their own food from energy they get from the sun are called Producers. Consumers need to eat other animals or plants to get energy. They CANNOT make their own food.

How are consumers classified? Herbivores- Organisms that eat only plants Carnivores- Organisms that eat only other animals (meat) Omnivores- Organisms that eat BOTH plants and other animals. Scavengers- A carnivore that feeds on bodies of dead organisms.

Why are Decomposers important? A Decomposer breaks down waste and dead organisms to return the nutrients back into the ecosystem. Nitrogen and Carbon are materials needed by ecosystems to thrive. Without decomposers, these materials would stay trapped in dead organisms and couldn’t be returned to the ecosystem. Think of decomposers as natural recyclers.

Food Chains and Food Webs A food chain is a simple model of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem. A food web consists of many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem. Normally, an organism will play more than one role in an ecosystem.

Energy Pyramids All organisms need energy to survive. An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy that moves through a food chain or food web. Most energy is found at the bottom of the pyramid with the producers, as you move up the pyramid you will notice that less and less energy is available for the organisms.

Assess Your Understanding Answer questions 2a-2c at the end of your packet on loose leaf and hand in your responses to be graded. Got it? Exit Slip 9-1 I get it, Now I know that energy moves through an ecosystem when… I don’t get it. I need extra help with…