1. Food Chains Define an ecosystem
Explain how energy moves through a food chain
Identify the roles of different organisms in a food web

2. Vocabulary Carnivore- an animal that eats other animals.
Consumer- an organism that eats other organisms.
Decomposer- an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material.
Ecosystem- the living and nonliving things that interact in an environment.
Food Chain- shows how energy passes form one organism to another in an ecosystem.
Food web- shows how food chains are linked together.
Herbivore- an animal that eats plants.
Producer- an organism that makes its own food.

3. Look and Wonder!
A bald eagle can fly at 200 miles per hour when diving for a fish. Bald eagles depend on fish for food. What do other animals depend on for food?

4. What is an ecosystem? All the parts of an environment that interact
May be a pond, swamp, or field
Can be as small as a puddle or as big as an ocean
Ecosystems are made up of living and nonliving things. Frogs, birds, and plants are some living things in a pond. Sunlight, water, and soil are some nonliving things.

5. A Pond Ecosystem: Different organisms live in different parts of an ecosystem. Living things get food, water, and shelter from their ecosystems. What do you notice?
These turtles eat snails, fish, insects, and plants. They climb out of the water to warm up.
Pond snails slide along the bottom looking for plants and algae to eat.
Pond plants grow well in wet soil. Animals use them as food and shelter.

6. What is a food chain?
All organisms need energy from food to live and grow. A food chain shows how energy passes from one organism to another in an ecosystem.

7. Food Chain
A producer is an organism that makes its own food. A consumer is an organism that eats other organisms. A decomposer is an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material.
The Sun
Infer: What might happen to caterpillars and snakes if frogs were removed from this food chain?
The plant gets energy from the sun to make it’s own food
The caterpillar eats the plant
The frog eats the caterpillar
The snake eats the frog

8. What is a food web?
Most animals eat several kinds of food. They are part of several food chains. Food chains can connect to form a food web. Food webs also show how organisms compete for food.
Predators hunt other organisms for food
The animals predators hunt are prey
Organisms that eat mostly plants are herbivores
Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores
Animals that eat both plants and animals are omnivores

10. Why are decomposers important?
Decomposers are an important part of ecosystems. Worms, mushrooms, mold, and some insects and snails are decomposers. Decomposers feed on dead material. As they eat, they release nutrients into the water or soil. These nutrients help plants and other organisms grow.

11. Review
Main Idea: How are organisms connected in an ecosystem? How could you show this?
Vocabulary: What is a consumer?
Infer: How does it help an animal to be part of more than one food chain?
Critical Thinking: How do both plants and animals depend on decomposers?
Test Prep: MOST producers get their energy from
A. sunlight
B. consumers
C. predators
D. rocks