Download Ecology Food Chains and Food Webs

Ecology
1/22-23/2013
AgSE
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Objective Big Question
I will be able to:
Demonstrate and identify the energy flow of
living orgaisms
Evaluate the efficiency of energy transfer among
organisms in and ecosystem
Language
Objective
I will read each test question and answer it to the
best of my ability.
Bell work
What are the 3 types of symbiotic relationships
among organisms?
# of Days
1 day
Vocabulary
Core Concepts
Ecology
Biosphere
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
Habitat
Abiotic
Acclimation
Regulators
Parasitism
Commensalisms
Niche
Biotic
Conformer
Predation
Mutualism
What are producers?
 Producer – Organism that
takes non-living matter
(energy from the sun,
water, minerals, carbon
dioxide) and uses it to
produce food (energy) for
itself with surplus for other
organisms. Example –
plants
What are consumers?
 Consumer – Does
not produce own
food. Must eat
producers or other
consumers for
energy.
 Example – animals
What are decomposers?
 Decomposer –
Organism which
feeds off dead plants
and animals and
reduces their remains
to minerals and gases
again. Examples –
worms, bacteria
What is a food chain?
Food chain – Series of
steps by which energy
is obtained, used, and
changed by living
things. Example –
sunlight helps grain to
grow, the grain feeds
cattle, and humans eat
the cattle
What is a carnivore?
Consumer that
eats other
consumers
Example:
Lion, Tigers,
Eagle, Crocs
What is an Herbivore?
Consumer that
eats on producers
Example: Koala
Bear only eat
Eucalyptus
leaves
What is an Omnivore?
Consumer that
eats both
consumers and
producers
Example:
People eat both
Meat and
Vegetables
What is a primary Consumer or 1st
level?
an organism that
gets its energy
from producers
(plants). These
are often called
herbivores.
Cows, deer, insects,
rodents
What is a secondary consumer or 2nd
level?
An organism that
gets its energy
from other
consumers. Often
carnivores
Example: Shrews,
Frog, small fish
What is a tertiary consumer or 3rd
level?
An organism
typically eats other
2nd or 1st level
consumers
Can sometimes be
a top predator
Example: Large
fish, snakes
What is a quaternary consumer or 4th
level?
Top consumer that
typically eat 3rd
level consumers
for energy
Typically has no
natural predators
Example: Lion,
hawk, killer whale
What is a food web?
Food webs – feeding relationships among
the various organisms in an ecosystem
forming a network of complex interactions
linking all the food chains together.
Example on board ( draw on board)
Grass
Rabbits, grass hoppers
Birds, shrew, harvest mouse