Ecosystems

What is an Ecosystem?  An ecosystem is a plant and animal community made up of living and nonliving things that interact with each other and their environment  An ecosystem is a unit of independent organisms which share the same habitat.  “eco” means house, habitat, environment  Ecosystems can be permanent or temporary.  Ecosystems usually have several different food webs.

What is ecology?  Ecology is the study of living things in relationship to each other and their natural environment (surroundings).  Food  Shelter  Protection  Reproduction

Our Environment  Our environment includes both living and nonliving organisms.  Living: plantsanimalsinsects  Nonliving: soilwaterairsunlight

What do all living things need in order to survive?  Sunlight  Water  Food

What is a food chain?  It shows how each living thing gets its food. A food chain always starts with a green plant, which is a producer. A food chain always starts with a green plant, which is a producer. …which is eaten by an animal, called a consumer. …which is eaten by an animal, called a consumer. …which is sometimes eaten by another animal, called a consumer. …which is sometimes eaten by another animal, called a consumer. (The animal at the end (top) of the food chain is called a predator.) (The animal at the end (top) of the food chain is called a predator.) Eventually the animal dies and its body is broken down to become soil again by a decomposer.

All living things need food to give them the energy to grow and move. Here is another food web. It shows who is eating who. The arrow means “is eaten by ” Grass ---->Grasshopper --->Toad ---->Snake ---->Hawk Grass is eaten by Grasshopper is eaten by Toad is eaten by Snake is eaten by Hawk

What are producers? All plants are producers. Plants make, or produce, their own food through photosynthesis.

What are Consumers? Animals that eat the plants are consumers. There are different kinds of consumers, depending on what they eat. *herbivores*carnivores*omnivores*scavengers

Herbivores eat only plants.

Carnivores eat only animals.

Omnivores eat plants and animals.

Scavengers eat dead animals.

What are decomposers? Decomposers are the bacteria and fungi that break down waste and dead plants and animals, returning them to the soil. Earthworms also belong in this category, since they break down soil.

What’s the difference between a food chain and a food web? A food web consists of many food chains. A food chain only follows one path as animals find food. Example: A hawk eats a snake, which has eaten a frog, which has eaten a grasshopper, which has eaten grass. Example: A hawk eats a snake, which has eaten a frog, which has eaten a grasshopper, which has eaten grass. A food web shows many different paths to show how plants and animals are connected. Example: A hawk eats a snake, but it might also eat a mouse, a squirrel, a frog, or some other animal. The snake may eat a beetle, a caterpillar, or some other animal. And so on for all the other animals in the food chain.

A food web is several different food chains connected together.