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Bringing Together Living and Non-living
Things.
How Do Living and Nonliving Things Interact?

Ecosystem- the living
AND nonliving things in
an environment and all
their interactions.
The ecosystem includes
rocks, water, plants, and
animals.
Community- the
living part of an
ecosystem.

The community
includes the plants and
animals.

Population- one type of organism living in an
area.
The squirrel monkey

Habitat- the home of an organism.
Trees are the squirrel
monkey’s home.
Roles Organisms Play
Producer- an organism, such as a
plant, that makes food.
 All food chains must begin with a
producer.

Algae is a
protist that
produces
chlorophyll. It is
a producer in
many water
ecosystem
food chains.
Plants like grass are producers.
Roles Organisms Play
Consumer- any organism that eats the
food producers make or eats other
consumers.
 There are consumers at different levels
of every food chain.

This grasshopper consumes leaves
and grass.
This polar bear consumes penguins
and seals to gain energy.
Types of Consumers
Herbivore- a consumer that eats only
plants. Herbivores are always the 1st level
consumers in a food chain.
 Carnivore- a consumer that eats only
animals
 Omnivore- a consumer that eats both
plants and animals.

This deer only eats
plants like grass. It is
an herbivore.
The lion below is obviously a carnivore.
The black bear above eats fruits like berries,
but also eats other animals. Both the black
bear and the baby below are omnivores.
Roles Organisms Play
Decomposers- an organism that breaks
down the wastes and remains of other
organisms.
 Examples: bacteria, fungi like
mushrooms, some types of insects

worms
mushrooms
bacteria decomposing
waste
Food chain- the set of steps in which organisms get the
food they need to survive.
Energy comes from the sun. It is transferred to the
producer. The 1st consumer eats the producer to
gain energy. Energy is passed to the 2nd and 3rd
level consumers when they eat the other animals.
The top-level consumer dies or gives off waste and
energy is transferred to the decomposers.
Decomposers take this energy and return the nutrients
to the soil. This helps the producers grow and starts
food chain again. This is a common forest food chain.
Tundra Food Chain
The sun provides for the seaweed (producer)
to grow. The minnow (herbivore, 1st level
consumer) eats the seaweed. The penguin
(carnivore, 2nd level consumer) gets energy by
eating the minnow. The polar bear (carnivore
and top-level consumer) gets energy by
eating the penguin. The polar bear dies or gets
rid of waste and bacteria (decomposers) and
passes the nutrients and energy on to other
producers so the food chain can continue.

Food Web- the pattern that shows how food
chains are related.