Decomposers

Producers are organisms that make their own food using air, sunlight, and water Such as, green plants and algae

Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants make their own food using the sun’s energy, water and carbon dioxide. Sunlight + CO 2 + Water (H 2 0)  O 2 + Glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) Formula:

Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts

Leaves have little openings called stomata These stomata on the leaves are used for gas exchange

2.PRODUCERS 3. CONSUMERS 4. DECOMPOSER 1.SUN

Consumers cannot make their own food Consumers are organisms that must eat other organisms (plants or animals) for their food

What are plant-eating consumers called? -Herbivores What are meat-eating consumers called? -Carnivores

What are consumers that eat both plants and animals called? -Omnivores What are consumers that eat dead plants or dead animals called? -Scavengers

Primary (1°) Consumers = “first eaters” Secondary (2°) Consumers = “second eaters” Tertiary (3°) Consumers = “third eaters”

2.PRODUCERS 3. CONSUMERS 4. DECOMPOSERS 1.SUN

Decomposers are organisms that break down the cells of dead material and recycle the nutrients back into the ecosystem

Eventually all food chains end in decomposers

1. Bacteria -very important decomposers -important for recycling nutrients -widely distributed -can break down just about any type of organic matter -a gram of soil typically contains 40 million bacterial cells!

2. Fungi -includes yeast, mold, and mushrooms -primary decomposers of litter in many ecosystems -primary decomposers in forests

3. Worms -various types of worms can act as decomposers -they can break down organic materials and add nutrients to the soil -they can also help loosen the soil so air can circulate -This helps plants grow!

The earth would be covered in a layer of dead flies almost 20 feet deep! Decomposers recycle the nutrients back into the ecosystem If we didn’t have decomposers, producers would not get their nutrients and would die If we didn’t have producers (plants), all living things would die!

Think of pop can recycling. When pop cans are recycled, they are melted down into aluminum and sent off to processing plants so the metal can be used again If we did not recycle pop cans, we would run out of aluminum in the future Likewise, if nutrients were not recycled in our environment they would not be available to other organisms

Warmth Lots of air Lots of food Moisture (water) Darkness

Scavengers eat dead material that they find (they have mouths). E.g. Vulture Decomposers “break down” the cells of dead material. E.g. Mold