1. Teacher Notes Begin with www.BrainPop.com Login: edhpop
Password: edhpop1
category: “Ecology and Behavior”, videos: “Ecosystems”, “Food Chains”, “Symbiosis”
This vocabulary is heavily TAKS tested, so the students need lots of practice making connections between the terms.
Have the students take notes on the power point, then have them define the vocabulary at the end.

2. Continued…..
Have students group organisms in categories of: autotrophs, heterotrophs, consumers, producers, omnivores, herbivores, carnivores. Example:
Carnivores are also: predators, consumers, heterotrophs.
Autotrophs are also: producers, photosynthetic, bottom of the food chain.
Have students turn in classifications to their science teacher for extra credit!

3. ECOSYSTEMS
FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS

4. VOCABULARY Producer Mutualism Primary consumer Commensalism
Secondary consumer Parasitism
Tertiary consumer Predator
Herbivore Prey
Carnivore Scavenger
Omnivore Decomposer
Autotroph
Heterotroph
Symbiosis

5. ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEMS
The greatest amount of energy is in the bottom level- or the producers
Producers are photosynthetic

6. PRODUCERS Photosynthetic Contain most of the energy in a food web
Autotrophic-make their own food

7. PRIMARY CONSUMERS Eat producers Herbivores-eat plants only
Heterotrophic-get energy from food source
Often prey animals-hunted by predators

8. SECONDARY CONSUMER Often eats primary consumer and producer
Omnivore- eats meat (insects are meat) and plants
Heterotrophic
Could also be a small
carnivore

9. TERTIARY CONSUMER Usually top of the food chain
Carnivore- eats meat only
Predator- hunts prey
Has no natural predators

10. SCAVENGERS Eat animals that are already dead.
Do not usually hunt prey.

11. DECOMPOSERS Eat dead and decaying plant and animal matter and waste.
Examples: Bacteria and Fungi

12. PREDATOR Organism that actively hunts prey.
In the animal Kingdom, predators often have eyes on the front of their heads for better visual acuity.

13. PREY Organisms that are hunted by predators.
In the animal kingdom, prey animals often have eyes on the sides of their heads for better peripheral vision.

14. SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Long-standing relationships between organisms in an ecosystem

15. MUTUALISM
Relationship where both organisms benefit

16. COMMENSALISM
Relationship where one organism benefits, and the other is unaffected.

17. PARASITISM
Relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
Examples: mosquitoes, ticks, tapeworms

18. FOOD WEBS Interconnected organisms in an ecosystem.
The arrow is always pointing to the thing doing the eating!