1. Ecosystems A. ECOSYSTEMS AND HABITATS
Ecosystem: Interacting organisms and their environment.
Example: Rainforest ecosystem- Humid, hot environment.
sloth, monkeys, snakes, trees, mushrooms, frogs, insects, plants, worms, birds, vines, ferns.
Example: Rappahanock river ecosystem-aquatic environment, moderate temperature, bacteria, crabs, grass, clams, fish, barnacles, oysters, eels, algae
Example: Arctic ecosystem-cold, freezing, dry environment, penguins, polar bears, fox * no vegetation, *there are bacteria found here.

2. Ecosystems Habitat: The surroundings, or home, of the organism
Niche: The organisms' way of life in its habitat
*how it gets its food, it’s location, how/when it reproduces.

3. Habitat
Niche
Monkey
rainforest, Jungle
*Trees
Elephant
Africa Asia plains
*on ground
*terrestrial
Rats
not H2O
not cold
*ground dwellers
Frog
Pond or lake
*aquatic
*in pond
*near pond
Fowl
Forest
*trees
*controls rodent population
Beaver
*near water
*dam the stream or lake

4. Ecosystems B. Abiotic Factor: Any nonliving component of an ecosystem.
C. Biotic Factor: Living components of an ecosystem.
D. There are 3 ways to show how organisms interact in an ecosystem.
Food Chain: The specific sequence of who eats who in an ecosystem; shows the flow of energy. Uses Arrows that show the direction the energy flows.
Food Web: The interrelated food chains in an ecosystem.
Food Pyramid: Shows the sequence of who eats who in an ecosystem; shows the flow of energy.

5. Food Pyramid
Example:
*as you move down the food chain/pyrimid/web, the amount of energy increases.
*as you move up the food chain/pyrimid/web, the amount of energy decreases.
Hawk
Snake
Mice
Grasses

6. Parts of the Food Chain PARTS: Producers: plants
consumers: scavengers and decomposer
The levels of a food chain/web/pyramid are called Trophic levels. These levels show how much energy is transferred form one organism to another.

7. Parts of the Food Chain 1. Producers: *an autotroph
*always at the lowest level
EX: algea Ocean : phytoplankton
plants
grass
flowers
leaves
2. Primary consumer:
*eats the producer
EX: Ocean: Zooplankton
rabbit; frogs; cows; horses; giraffe; mouse; catapillar;

8. Parts of the Food Chain 3. 2 (secondary) consumers:
* eats the 1 (primary) consumers
EX: snake; fox; hawk; owl; fish; whale; killer whale
4. 3 (tertiary) consumers:
*eats the 2 secondary consumers
EX: hawk, humans, giant squid
5. Scavenger: consumer that feeds on the dead and decaying organisms
EX: Opposum; crows; vultures; raccoon
Ocean: lobsters; crabs; creyfish

9. THE LEVEL THAT HAS THE MOST ENERGY IS THE PRODUCER LEVEL
Parts of the Food Chain
6. Decomposer: breaks down decaying material into nitrogen, carbon. etc. and recycles the nutrients back into the soil + help producers.
EX: ants, worms, mushrooms, roach
THE LEVEL THAT HAS THE MOST ENERGY IS THE PRODUCER LEVEL
*Their energy to grow comes from the sun!!!!

10. Which level has the highest population of organisms?
Producer
As you move up the chain/web/pyramid, what changes?
The Energy gets lower.
The number of organisms gets lower.
The Biomass(total dry weight) usually gets smaller.

11. Types of “vores”…what they eat.
Carnivore: Eats meat.
Herbivore: Eats plants
Omnivore: Eats both meat and plants.