HOW DOES ENERGY FLOW THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM?  An ecosystem consists of all the organisms living and in an area as well as the nonliving parts of that environment.  Energy can be converted from one form to another.  Energy can be transferred from one organism to another.  A food chain is a way of showing how matter and energy pass from one organism to another.

Food Chain Cycle

MEMBERS OF AN ECOSYSTEM  Producers- plant or algae and other organisms that are capable of making their own food.  Consumers- animals that consume (eat) producers or other animals. Herbivores- animals that eat plants. Herbivores- animals that eat plants. Carnivores- animals that eat meat. Carnivores- animals that eat meat. Omnivores- animals that eat both plant and meat. Omnivores- animals that eat both plant and meat.  Scavengers- animals that eat dead animals.  Decomposers-organisms that breakdown the wastes or remains of other animals.

FOOD WEB  A food web is a model that shows all the possible feeding relationships among the organisms in an ecosystem.  A food web is made of different food chains.  Arrows are used to show the direction of the energy flow.

Food Web

ENERGY PYRAMID  An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level in an ecosystem.  The bottom is the first feeding level and consists of the producers. It is the largest level because it contains the most energy and the largest number of organisms.  As you move up the pyramid, the transfer of energy is less efficient and each level becomes smaller.  Only about 10% of the energy available at each feeding level of an energy pyramid is transferred to the next higher level.

ENERGY PYRAMID  Top Level- Carnivores (snake, hawk, fox) Carnivores (snake, hawk, fox)  Middle Level- Herbivores (rabbit, mouse, deer) Herbivores (rabbit, mouse, deer)  Lower Level- Producers (plants) Producers (plants)

VOCABULARY WORDS  CONSUMER (primary, secondary, tertiary)  PRODUCER  SCAVENGER  DECOMPOSER  FOOD CHAIN  FOOD WEB  ENERGY PYRAMID  HERBIVORE  CARNIVORE  OMNIVORE  PREDATOR  PREY

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Chapter Review Question 2 Which best describes this illustration? A. food chain B. food web C. energy pyramid D. none of the above NY.LE 6.1b

Chapter Review Answer The answer is B. A food web is a model that shows all the possible feeding relationships among the organisms in a community.

Standardized Test Practice Question 2 Which is a producer in this food web? A. bear B. chipmunk C. grasses D. red-tailed hawk NY.LE 5.1d

Standardized Test Practice Answer The answer is C. Grasses use energy from the Sun to produce food.

Standardized Test Practice Question 3 Which makes up the bottom of the energy pyramid? A. carnivores B. omnivores C. herbivores D. producers NY.LE 5.1d

Standardized Test Practice Answer The answer is D. Producers are organisms that take in and use energy from the Sun or some other source to produce food.