1. Food Chains Roles of Organisms
4th Grade Science

2. Community works as a team
A community works as a team.
Each member of the team has a job to do.
There are three types of team members.
Producer
Consumer
Decomposer

3. Power for the ecosystems
The sun is the power plant for ecosystems.

5. Producers Producers make the food for the ecosystem.
Plants make their own food.
To make food, producers use water, carbon dioxide in the air, and the Sun’s energy. This is called photosynthesis.
Producers make the food for the ecosystem.
Plants make their own food.
To make food, producers use water, carbon dioxide in the air, and the Sun’s energy. This is called photosynthesis.

6. Producers affect their environment
Producers provide shelter to animals.
Producers keep soil from eroding.
Producers contribute to the air that we breathe.

7. Consumers Organisms that eat food are consumers.
Animals and insects are consumers.
Consumers may eat plants or other consumers.

8. Three types of consumers
Herbivores: consumers that eat only plants
Carnivores: consumers that eat only animals
Omnivores: consumers that eat plants and animals

9. Decomposers
Decomposers break down dead matter into simple chemical that they use for food.
Producers use these chemicals for making food.
F. B. I.
Fungus
Bacteria
Insects

10. Food Chains The Sun is the beginning of all food chains.
A food chain is the steps in which organisms get the food they need to survive.
Producers make their own food.
Consumers and decomposers must get food from producers or other consumers.

11. Food Chains

12. Food Webs
Food chains show how energy is passed from the Sun to producers, consumers, and decomposers.
In a ecosystem many food chains overlap.
Several consumers may all eat the same kind of plant or animal. This is a food web.
A food web shows how food chains are related within an ecosystem.

13. Energy Pyramids
Shows how much energy is passed from one organism to the next in a food chain
Producers are at the bottom, biggest level of the pyramid. There are fewer of them.
At each level, 10% of energy is passed on, while 90% is used.
Only one or two consumers are at the top of the pyramid.

14. Food Web
1. What consumer is found in several food chains? What food chains is it a part of?
2. What might happen to this food web if the hawk dies?

15. Questions How do food chains and food webs relate?
Could an ecosystem exist without producers? Consumers? Decomposers? Explain