Download Unit 6 Ecology Part 2 - Energy Flow in a System

Unit 6 Ecology
Part 2 – Energy Flow
Initial Energy Source
• Sunlight is the main energy source for life on
Earth!
Ecological Roles
• Producers:
– Make there own food
from sunlight energy or
chemical energy
– Base of energy for a
system
Ecological Roles
• Producers:
– Photoautotrophs: Use sunlight to convert
inorganic carbon (CO2) into organic compounds
• Photosynthesis
– Chemoautotrophs: Use chemical reactions to
convert inorganic carbon (CO2) into organic
compounds
• Chemosynthesis
Ecological Roles
• Consumers:
– Heterotrophs: Acquire energy
and food from other organisms
– Types of heterotrophs
• Herbivores: eat only plants
• Carnivores: eat only other animals
• Omnivores: eat both plants and
animals
• Detritivores: eat only dead matter
Ecological Roles
• Decomposers:
– Break down organic
matter
– Release energy and
nutrient back into the
system
– Bacteria + fungi
Feeding Relationships
• Energy flow pathway:
Sun/chemicals
Autotrophs (producers)
Heterotrophs (consumers)
Food Chain
• Series of steps in which organisms transfer
energy by eating and being eaten
Food Web
• Complex feeding relationships in an
ecosystem.
Trophic Levels
• Each step in a food chain or web
• Begins with producers
• 2nd, 3rd, 4th and higher levels are made up of
consumers
Energy Pyramid
• Limited energy as you move
along a food chain.
• Only 10% of energy from one
level is transferred to the next
level.
• The other 90% is used by the
organisms for growth,
development, and activity.
Energy Pyramid