1. Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight → C6H12O6 + 6O2

2. Ecosystems Consist of all the biotic and abiotic components of an area
The amount of energy an ecosystem receives has an effect on its makeup
All energy entering the ecosystem from the sun or other abiotic factors needs to be converted in order to be useful to other organisms

3. Producers
Autotrophs that convert the energy entering the ecosystem so that other organisms can use it
Examples: plants, protists, bacteria, algae
Most use solar energy to do photosynthesis; some use inorganic molecules to do chemosynthesis
Producers add biomass to an ecosystem
Biomass is all of the organic material in an ecosystem available to organisms

4. ENERGY is stored in the bonds of glucose; glucose is stored as starch
(xylem)
The chemical reaction by which green plants use water and carbon dioxide and light from the sun to make glucose
ENERGY is stored in the bonds of glucose; glucose is stored as starch

5. Producers Producers use most of the energy they make for themselves
The energy that is not used by producers can be passed on to organisms that cannot make their own energy

6. Cellular Respiration
Organisms use cellular respiration to supply the energy they need to live
Cellular respiration is the chemical reaction that releases the energy stored in the bonds of glucose
6O2 + C6H12O6 -->  6H2O + 6CO2 + energy

7. The number of producers affect the types of consumers present in the ecosystem
Consumers are heterotrophs that must eat other organisms for nutrition
Grouped according to their food consumption:
Herbivores eat producers
Carnivores eat other consumers
Omnivores eat both producers and consumers
Detritivores eat wastes and parts of dead consumers and producers – some detritivores are decomposers
Decomposers are bacteria and fungi that decay any living material
Scavengers eat other consumers that have already died
Predators hunt and kill other consumers
Prey are the animals that are hunted and killed

8. What kind of consumer?
Herbivore – Detritivore – Decomposer – Omnivore – Herbivore - Carnivore

9. All ecosystems have energy flow caused by organisms eating one another
Energy flows through ecosystems from producers to consumers
Most of the energy the primary consumer gets from the producer is used by the consumer
Some of the energy moves into the atmosphere as heat
The energy that is not lost to the atmosphere or used by the consumer itself is available for another consumer

10. Energy Flow Secondary consumers eat other consumers for energy
Most of the energy the secondary consumer gets from the primary consumer is used by the secondary consumer
Some of the energy is lost as heat
Some energy is stored and can be passed onto another consumer
Tertiary consumers eat consumers that have already eaten another consumer

11. Energy Flow Energy flow can be diagrammed in many ways including:
Ecological Pyramids
Trophic Level Diagrams
Energy Pyramids
Food Chains
Food Webs

12. Trophic Level Diagrams
An organism’s trophic level shows its position in the sequence of energy flow
Producers belong to the 1st trophic level (are most abundant)
Herbivores belong to the 2nd trophic level (also called primary consumers)
Predators of herbivores belong to the 3rd trophic level (also called secondary consumers)
Most ecosystems only have three or four trophic levels

14. Energy Pyramids
Energy pyramids show how much energy is passed from one trophic level to the next
On average, 10% of all energy consumed can be passed on to the next trophic level, but it can be as low as 1% or as high as 20%
Most energy consumed contributes to maintaining homeostasis, respiration, growth, and reproduction

15. Energy Pyramids
The amount of available energy decreases down the food chain
It takes a large number of producers to support a small number of primary consumers
It takes a large number of primary consumers to support a small number of secondary consumers

16. Food Chains Food chains are single pathways of energy transfer
The arrows represent the way the energy is flowing.
So the energy is flowing from the grasshopper to the frog in this food chain
Food chains are too simple to encompass the interactions of a whole ecosystem

17. Food Webs
Food webs are made of many interacting or interconnected food chains; they show the feeding relationships in ecosystem
More accurate than food chains since most organisms feed on more than one thing and are eaten by more than one thing
If one part of the food web is lost, there can be serious consequences for the entire ecosystem

18. Energy Transformations
Matter