1. Energy in Ecosystems & Food chains and Food WEbs
13.3 & 13.4

2. Where does energy come from?
THE SUN!!!
Producers – get energy from non-living resources
Make their own food
Also considered “autotrophs” – self nourishment
Consumers – get energy from living resources
Need to eat stuff
Also considered “heterotrophs” – different nourishment

3. Energy Flow in an Ecosystem

4. Special cases Chemosynthesizers do not need sunlight to make food
Use chemicals in their surroundings
Considered chemoautotrophs – chemical self nourishment
Examples?
Hydrothermal pools/vents, marshy areas

6. Food chains Links species by their feeding relationship
One producer and a single chain of consumers

7. Types of consumers Herbivores – eat plant matter
Carnivores – eat other animals
Omnivores – eat both plants and animals
Detritivores – eat dead organic matter
Decomposers – detritivores that break down organic matter into simpler compounds

8. Trophic levels Levels of nourishment in food chains Producer – plants
Primary consumer – grasshopper
Secondary consumer – frog
Tertiary consumer – snake
Quaternary consumer – hawk

9. Food webs Shows the big picture
Indicates complex feeding relationships and energy flow within an ecosystem
Can also sometimes show energy flow beyond the ecosystem