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OUR PLANET
Unit 1-3a
Energy in the Ecosystem
I Give Up. What’s black & white and read all over?
How Do Ecosystems Work?
The Sun - The source of all energy on Earth*
Without the sun, our planet would be cold and dark
without anything to eat and fresh water would be scarce!
Producers (Autotroph) – Make their own food;
Photosynthesis change solar energy into chemical energy
Without producers there wouldn’t be any food for the…
Consumers (Heterotrophs) – Obtain energy from other
organisms; Ex: Animals, Fungi and many bacteria
Which are these?
Consumer
Producers
???
Types of Consumers
There are four different types of consumers…
Types of
Consumers
Energy Source
Examples
Herbivore
producers
cow, turtle
Carnivore
Omnivore
Decomposer
other
consumers
producers &
consumers
decaying
matter
snake, vulture
people, bears
fungi &
bacteria
Why is a vegetarian still considered an omnivore?
*Deep
Ocean Ecosystems
Without the sun, life on earth could still exist due to…
Chemotrophs – Bacteria that get energy from hydrogen
sulfide which is released from deep ocean volcanic vents
These bacteria support
entire ecosystems that
have never seen the sun and
survive tremendous pressure!
This is the basis for the idea
that life could exist on Titan,
one of Saturn’s moons, that
is almost 1 billion miles from the sun.
A volcanic core appears to keep it’s ocean from freezing.
Storing & Using Energy
What does a plant need to survive?
Photosynthesis uses Water, Carbon Dioxide and Sunlight
to create Sugar (energy stored as glucose) & Oxygen (waste)
H2O + CO2 + Energy  C6H12O6 + O2
While plants use photosynthesis to create stored energy,
plants & animals have another process to use the energy…
Cellular Respiration – Plants and animals use Sugar and
Oxygen to get energy, releasing water & carbon dioxide
C6H12O6 + O2  H2O + CO2 + Energy
What do you notice about these equations?
Close Your Notebooks… 
What have you learned in this unit?
1. Describe how energy from the
sun can be used by a wolf.
2. Describe the four different
types of consumers.
3. How is matter from producers
recycled in the environment?
4. How could life exist on one of
Saturn’s moons?
5. Explain the similarities and
differences between photosynthesis
and cellular respiration.
OUR PLANET
Unit 1-3b
Energy Transfer
How Energy Flows
Trophic Level – Each step in which energy and matter are
transferred within an ecosystem; Ex: Energy pyramid
Most of the energy taken in by
an organism at one trophic level
is used before that energy can
be passed to the next level.
Organisms use their energy
to complete life’s processes.
Which level has the highest
population? Which has
the lowest population?
How Energy Flows
The 10% Law – Only 10% of the energy at each trophic
level is passed on to the next and 90% is used or lost.
Carnivores are found at the top.
And the remaining ~50 Kcal
are passed on to the lion.
Next are the herbivores.
And only ~500 Kcal are
passed on to the giraffes.
At the base of every
pyramid are producers.
They make ~5,000 Kcal
of energy/m2 each year.
A Closer Look At Trophic Levels
Food Chain – A specific diagram that shows how energy
flows from one organism to another
Why are the bald eagle’s
eggs breaking?
Thin eggs were being crushed by
the mom before they could hatch.
A look at the food chain showed
that DDT, a powerful pesticide,
became more concentrated as it
moved up each trophic level.
In part, due to the damage caused by DDT, bald eagles
were on the endangered species list from 1973-2007.
Seeing The Big Picture
Food Webs – Shows multiple, interconnected food chains;
Show more accurately how organisms
survive in an ecosystem
Each year, 1-3 million people are
killed by a deadly disease known as…
Malaria! It is transmitted, person
to person, by the mosquito.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could
kill all the mosquitoes in the world?
How many other creatures would
be affected if mosquitoes vanished?
And who would fill its niche?
Where Did All Of These Come From?
Invasive Species – A foreign plant/animal that negatively
affects an ecosystem; Species grow with few predators
• Zebra Mussel – Introduced by ballast water from
Russia, they’ve caused $500 million in damage to pipelines
each year & as filter-feeders, they poison native species
• Asian Long-Horned Beetle –
Arrived in wood from China,
they burrow holes into the
center of Maple, Willow,
Birch and Elm trees ultimately
killing them; If you see them
in New Jersey call…
1-866-Beetle1
Close Your Notebooks… 
What have you learned in this unit?
1. What is a trophic level?
2. Why does an energy pyramid
typically only have 4-5 levels?
3. Which types of organisms are
found at each level of an energy
pyramid?
4. Give an example of when studying
a food chain would be important.
5. Give an example of when studying
a food web would be important.
OUR PLANET
Unit 1-3c
Species Interactions
What’s A Niche?
Niche – A species role in the environment including…
(Let’s use squirrels for example…)
• Its habitat
(Squirrels are common in forests
and build nests in trees)
• Everything it needs to survive
(It eats nuts, bird eggs and
other small organisms)
• Every interaction it has with other species
(It disperses nuts, limits other populations, its waste
fertilizes the soil, & it is food for many predators)
Overlapping Niches
Because squirrels are not the only species to live in
trees, eat nuts, or hoard for the winter so this creates…
Competition – When species, or individuals, attempt to
use the same limited resource
Sometimes species don’t even recognize their competition!
Indirect Competition – Occurs even when the species may
never come into direct contact
Ex: An aphid during the day,
may feed on the same plant
that is eaten at night by a
spider mite.
How Species Interact
There are four types of species interactions
Predator-Prey – When one organism uses another as a
source of food; Ex: Wolves and rabbits
Parasite-Host – A parasite lives on or in a host without
killing it immediately; Ex: Dog with ticks & heartworms
Why doesn’t the parasite want to quickly kill the host?
How Species Interact
Mutualism – A relationship between two species in which
both benefit; Ex: Acacia trees & ants
What are the benefits for the tree and the ants?
Commensalism – One organism benefits but the other isn’t
helped or harmed; Ex: An orchid and trees
How does the orchid benefit by climbing the tree?
Who Is Who?
Mimicry – When two species have a similarity (in sound,
scent, behavior, or appearance) that offers protection
• Milk Snake – Harmless but shares the same colors as
the deadly coral snake; Red on black-Friend of Jack but
Red on Yellow-Kill a Fellow… Can you tell which is which?
• Dead Leaf Mantis –
What do you think
this praying mantis
is trying to mimic?
Can you see her?
Close Your Notebooks… 
What have you learned in this unit?
1. How big is your niche?
2. What causes competition and
who benefits from it?
3. Compare & contrast parasitehost with predator-prey.
4. Describe the mutualistic
relationship between a termite
and the bacteria in its stomach.
5. Why are there so few
examples of relationships that
are purely commensalism?