Chapter 7 ECOSYSTEMS Lesson 1 Why do adaptations vary among species? Surviving in the Environment: Adaptations: characteristics that allow a species to survive and reproduce in its environment. Structural (Physical) adaptations are parts of an organism’s body that helps it survive in its environment.

Behavioral Adaptations: actions and behaviors a species performs to survive in its environment. Body processes organisms in a species will use to survive an environment. Ex) hibernation, photosynthesis, digestion of nutrients

ENERGY FLOW IN AN ECOSYSTEM ALL ORAGNISMS NEED ENERGY TO CARRY ON LIFE PROCESSES. PRODUCERS: organisms that make their own food from the sun’s energy. CONSUMERS: organisms that get energy from other organisms. Producers get energy directly from sunlight, consumers get energy indirectly from sunlight.

DECOMPOSERS: organisms that get energy by breaking down remains of dead organisms. They release the stored energy from the dead organism back into the environment. Food Chain: one possible path energy can move in an ecosystem. Grass Rabbits Hawks Notice food chains begin with producers because they convert the sun’s energy directly into glucose (food source from photosynthesis).

Food Web: shows how food chains are connected Food Web: shows how food chains are connected. Shows multiple ways energy can flow through an ecosystem.

Energy Pyramid: shows how energy moves through an ecosystem. When moving down a food chain, only part (10%) of the energy is available to the predator. Most energy has already been used by the prey or given off as heat. Only energy that is stored in the prey can be passed to the predator. There are more organisms at the base of the pyramid. Less energy is available at each level of the pyramid.