1. Ecology

2. Producers Obtain energy from the sun. Can produce their own food.
Autotroph

3. Consumers
Herbivore- obtain energy by eating only plants

4. Consumer
Carnivore- obtain energy by eating only meat

5. Consumer
Omnivore- obtain energy by eating plants and animals

6. Consumers
Detritivores- Feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
e.g.: mites, earthworms, snails, crabs

7. Consumers
Decomposers- Organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
e.g.: bacteria, fungi

8. Feeding Relationships
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs (producers) and than to various heterotrophs (consumers)

9. Food Chain
Series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

10. Food Web
Food Web- links all the food chains in an ecosystem together

11. Trophic Levels Each step in a food chain or web
a. Producers make up the first trophic level
b. Consumers make up the second, third, or higher trophic levels

13. Ecological Pyramid
Energy Pyramid
Biomass Pyramid
Pyramid of Numbers

14. Energy Pyramid
Only part of the energy that is stored in one trophic level is passes onto the next level
Only about 10% of energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level

15. Biomass Pyramid
Represents the amount of living organic matter available at each trophic level in an ecosystem
Typically, the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid.

16. Pyramid of Numbers
Based on the numbers of individual organisms at each trophic level
Because each trophic level harvests only 1/10 of the energy from the level below, it can only support 1/10 the amount of living tissue