ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEMS chapter 3

All organisms need materials and energy to live!

The sum of all the living and nonliving things in an area and the interactions among them. What is an Ecosystem?

THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF ORGANISMS IN AN ECOSYSTEM: PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS, AND DECOMPOSERS

Within ecosystems, autotrophs are called Producers. Examples include: Plants Some bacteria Algae

Producers continued.. Almost all producers are photosynthetic Producers are organisms that capture energy and convert it into chemical energy stored in chemical bonds of glucose and other simple food molecules.

CONSUMERS! Consumers are organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms. Heterotrophs are considered to be….

Consumers are grouped into categories based on their feeding habits.

Primary Consumers Rabbits, cardinals, and white-tailed deer are consumers that eat producers.

Secondary Consumers River otters, red-tailed hawks, and great blue herons, eat primary consumers.

Tertiary Consumers Eat secondary consumers.

3RD TYPE OF ORGANISM = DECOMPOSER Decomposers obtain energy from organic wastes, such as fallen leaves or dead organisms.

THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS: The typical energy flow through different organisms in an ecosystem. This is called a “Food Chain.” Producers Primary Consumers Secondary Consumers Decomposers Energy

FOOD WEB Food chains that interconnect through multiple feeding relationships make up a……

EACH FEEDING LEVEL IN AN ECOSYSTEM IS CALLED….. Trophic Level

One type of feeding animal not listed to the right is an omnivore. Omnivores eat both plants and animals.

SCIENTISTS USE ENERGY PYRAMIDS TO… Show the energy loss between trophic levels in an ecosystem.

ONLY ABOUT 10% OF THE ENERGY FROM ANY TROPHIC LEVEL IS PASSED TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

Organisms at each level use much of the energy or release it into the environment as heat. The small amount of energy that passes from one trophic level to the next limits the number of organisms that can exist at each level.

ALL THE LIVING MATTER IN A HABITAT, TROPHIC LEVEL OF ECOSYSTEM IS CALLED BIOMASS.