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Energy Flows Roles in an Ecosystem • Habitat – an area in an ecosystem where an organism or species lives • Niche – the specific role an organism or species plays within a habitat • Producers – a group of organisms that produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis • Also called autotrophs • Consumers – a group of organisms that obtain their nutrients from other organisms; also called heterotrophs • Types of consumers • Herbivores – only eats plants • Scavengers – feeds on dead organisms • Carnivores – only eats animals • Decomposers – breaks down dead plant and animal matter and releases the • Omnivores – eats both plants nutrients into the soil and animals • Also called saprobes Food Chains • Matter cycles through an ecosystem • Energy flows through an ecosystem • Never lost • Lost as work and heat • Food chain – the sequence of organisms feeding upon each other in an ecosystem • Primary consumer – feeds on producers • Secondary consumer – feeds on primary consumers • Tertiary consumer – feeds on secondary consumers • Quaternary consumer – feeds on tertiary consumers • Top consumer – the last consumer in a food chain; is not directly preyed upon Trophic Levels • Trophic levels – a distinct level of feeding within an ecosystem • Some difficulties fitting all species into one level Biology 11.3 – Energy Flows Energy Flows Food Webs • Food web – a group of two or more food chains that are intertwined • Arrows show flow of energy • If one species is removed, other species must change niche or suffer • Ex) Alaskan kelp forests Ecological Pyramids • Ecological pyramid – an illustration of the energy, biomass, or numbers at each trophic level • Pyramid of energy – an illustration of the • Pyramid of numbers – an • Pyramid of biomass – an amount of energy in the bodies of organisms illustration of the number of illustration of the total mass of at each trophic level organisms feeding at each trophic dry, organic matter at each level trophic level in a given unit of • About 10% of energy is passed to the area next trophic level • Each trophic level supports fewer and fewer organisms • About 90% is turned into work or heat • Biomass – the mass of dry, organic matter in a given habitat • Less biomass available at each trophic level • Rapid consumption of producers in some marine ecosystems • Rapidly reproducing producers support larger consumer population • Leads to inverted biomass pyramid Biology 11.3 – Energy Flows