Producers, Consumers and Decomposers Science Notes Producers, Consumers and Decomposers

All energy on earth starts from the sun.

energy from the sun plants (producers) allows plants to make their own food use energy from sun, nutrients from soil, and carbon dioxide from water and air to make food store energy (in the form of carbon) in leaves, stems and roots all other living things on earth get energy from plants.

cannot make their own food many different kinds of consumers any form of life on earth that must eat other things to survive cannot make their own food many different kinds of consumers labeled by the number of steps they are away from plants, in the food chain

primary consumer eat plants to survive get energy directly from plants one step away from plants Ex: caterpillar eats a leaf (from plant); elephant eats bark of a tree; cow eats grass; squirrel eats nuts (from Plant)

two steps away from the plant secondary consumer organisms that eat primary consumers (plant eaters) to survive get their energy from plants second-hand, by eating the animal or insect that ate the plant two steps away from the plant secondary consumer

Ex: owl eats mouse that eats berry (from plant); spider eats insect that eats leaf (from plant); lion eats deer that eats leaves (from plant)

tertiary consumer organisms that eat secondary consumers to survive get their energy from plants third-hand, by eating the animal or insect, that ate the animal or insect, that ate the plant three steps away from the plant

Ex: owl eats the snake, that ate the mouse, that ate the berry(from plant); spider eats a dragonfly, that ate the insect, that ate the plant; hawk eats the fish, that ate the smaller fish, that ate the seaweed (plant)

not eaten by any other consumer top consumer on top of the food chain can be primary, secondary or tertiary consumer

break down remains of dead organisms play very important role in ecosystem help release trapped energy (in the form of carbon) in dead organism back to the earth. Ex: tree dies, decomposers

energy is trapped in tree stump from when tree was alive mushrooms grow on dead stump and help break down (disintegrate) what is left of tree as tree stump ‘disintegrates’, trapped energy is released back into soil and air.