Download Ecology and Food Chains

Ecology and Food Chains
SPECIES
POPULATION
COMMUNITY
ECOSYSTEM
BIOME
BIOSPHERE
• Organism: any form of
life.
• Organisms are
classified into species:
organisms that
resemble one another
in appearance,
behavior, chemistry and
genetic code.
• Population: all members of the same species
living in a specific area at the same time
The place where a population lives is its habitat
• The populations of all the different species occupying
and interacting in a particular place make up the
community
• An ecosystem is a community of different
species interacting with one another and
their non-living environment of matter and
energy
• Biomes are large regions with a distinct
climate and specific life forms. Each biome is
made up of many ecosystems.
BIOSPHERE
• The parts of earth that contain/support life.
Factors that affect living things are:
• Biotic factors – things that are alive or were alive (other
organisms)
• Abiotic factors – things that are non-living
Abiotic Factors
•
•
•
•
•
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Temperature
Water
Wind
Sunlight
Rocks/soil
Catastrophes
• All living things need
energy to survive and
grow.
• The source of this energy
is the sun.
Producers:
Called autotrophs
Can make sugar (glucose) by
photosynthesis
Examples: Algae, grasses, trees, etc.
Consumers:
Called heterotrophs
Depend on other living organisms for food; They cannot make their own food.
Primary Consumers:
Herbivores eat vegetation
Ex. : Grasshoppers, rabbits,
snails, etc.
Secondary Consumers:
Carnivores eat herbivores
Ex. : cats, foxes, owls, etc.
Tertiary Consumers:
Top carnivores (eat other consumers)
Ex. : Lions, bears, wolves, etc.
Decomposers:
They decompose (break down) dead organic material and
return important nutrients to the soil which helps plants grow.
Ex. : Bacteria and mushrooms
Scavengers
• An organism that eats dead or decaying
matter.
Trophic level
• Refers to the organism’s position in the food
chain
• Autotrophs are at the base (first trophic level).
• Organisms that eat autotrophs are called
herbivores or primary consumers (second
trophic level).
• An organism that eats herbivores is a carnivore
and a secondary consumer. (third trophic level)
• A carnivore that eats a carnivore that eats a
herbivore is a tertiary consumer (forth trophic
level).
• Omnivores eat both animals and plants.
Feeding Levels
Energy and Nutrient Flow Through the Ecosystem
The movement of energy is shown by the dark arrows.
The movement of nutrients is shown by the white arrows.
Inorganic nutrients are cycled, energy is not recycled – it is lost.
ENERGY
• At each level of the food chain, about 90% of the
energy is lost in the form of heat.
• The total energy passed from one level to the next is
only about one-tenth (10%) of the energy received
from the previous organism.
• As you move up the food chain, there is less energy
available.
• Animals located at the top of the food chain need a
lot more food to meet their energy needs.
Food Chains
• A food chain is the path of food from a given
final consumer back to a producer.
grass  grasshopper  mouse  snake 
• The real world is more complicated than a simple food
chain. A more realistic depiction of who eats whom is
called a food web that depicts interlocking food chains.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE6wq
G4nb3M (ecology song)
Example of a food chain (out of order) and the associated
trophic (feeding) levels - complete
Organisms
Type
Trophic
Levels
Raven
Grasshopper
Ladybug
Grasses
Mushrooms
Bacteria
Example of a food chain (out of order) and the associated
trophic (feeding) levels
Organisms
Raven
Grasshopper
Ladybug
Grasses
Mushrooms
Bacteria
Type
Tertiary
Consumer
(top
carnivore)
Primary
Consumer
(herbivore)
Secondary
Consumer
(carnivores)
Producer
(plants)
Decomposer
Trophic
Levels
Fourth
Second
Third
First
Feed off all
levels