Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Ecological Roles and Relationships
Document related concepts
Transcript
Ecological Roles and Relationships Life Functions • All organisms carry out basic life functions, such as growth, repair, and reproduction • To perform these life functions, organisms require food, water, and other nutrients • How organisms meet these needs determines their role in an ecosystem Producers • Also called autotrophs, these organisms make their own food from the sun or other sources of energy • Many producers use photosynthesis, a process that uses light energy from the sun to create sugars that are used by plant cells during cellular respiration Examples of Producers • Producers include algae, single and multicellular plants, as well as photosynthetic bacteria • Microscopic aquatic algae are called phytoplankton • Some organisms are chemosynthetic, and use chemical and thermal energy from the Earth’s interior to produce their own food Phytoplankton are small, plant-like organisms that provide much of the world’s oxygen supply Kelp forests are also an important supplier of oxygen in our oceans Producers on land include trees, flowers, ferns and other plant species Inside the tubeworms are chemosynthetic bacteria that uses sulfides or elemental sulfur from the vents as a source of energy Consumers • Also called heterotrophs, consumers eat other organisms or biotic waste to survive • Are several different types of consumers based on diet Herbivores • Include insects and other animals that eat plants • In aquatic environments, herbivores eat phytoplankton and other algae Carnivores • Carnivores eat other consumers Orcas are classic consumers, eating only other predators, such as seals, sea lions and even other whales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7WGIH3 5JBE Omnivores • Eat both producers and other consumers Detrivores • Are heterotrophs that consume decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces Found on every continent, dung beetles play an important role in nutrient recycling • Other detrivores include millipedes, slugs, earthworms, sea stars and sea cucumbers Decomposers • Decomposers, like bacteria and fungi, cause decay of dead organisms and waste material and make the nutrients available to producers through biodegradation • Waste material is broken down into simpler molecules Fungi are the primary decomposers in most ecosystems.
