1. Communities!

2. All around us are organisms (living things) living in communities, e.g. in NZ native bush.
Each species has its own population within the community, and a niche where it lives.

3. Producers – Organisms that make their own food from sunlight energy
Examples: plants, trees, moss, algae
Consumers – Organisms that eat other organisms (plants or animals)
Examples: caterpillars, bugs, birds, dogs, possums, fish, frogs, humans
Decomposers – Organisms that break down the bodies of dead organisms and waste
Examples: bacteria and fungi

4. Different types of consumers
Carnivores – only eat other animals
Herbivores – only eat plants
Omnivores – eat plants and animals

5. Food chains
A community contains many food chains which link up to form a food web
e.g. grass  sheep  human
Each step in the food chain is called a trophic level.
It shows “who eats who”
Energy flows from the lowest trophic level to the highest trophic level. Energy enters the chain as light and exits as heat.
The arrow shows the direction of energy flow
Only 10% of energy flows from one level to the next. The other 90% is converted to heat.

6. Trophic levels grass  grasshopper  birds  cats Grass is the…..
Third-order consumer
Grass is the…..
Consumers can be first order (herbivores), second or third order (omnivores and carnivores), and higher!
Grasshopper is the…..
Birds are the….
Cats are the….
Second-order consumer
First-order consumer
Producer

7. Trophic levels grass  grasshopper  birds  cats
Grass is the producer
Consumers can be first order (herbivores), second or third order (omnivores and carnivores), and higher!
Grasshopper is the first-order consumer
Birds are the second-order consumers
Cats are the third-order consumers
Third-order consumer
Second-order consumer
First-order consumer
Producer

8. T6 Carnivores (fourth-order consumers
Seals
T5 Carnivores (third-order consumers)
Sperm
whales
Sea birds
Penguins
T4 Omnivores and Carnivores (second-order consumers)
Baleen whales
Squid
Fish
T3 Omnivores (second-order consumers)
Krill
shrimp
T2 Herbivores (first-order consumers)
Animal plankton
Plant plankton
T1 Producers
T=Trophic Level