Ecosystem Unit

ECOSYSTEM UNIT

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

What if???All the plants and animals

disappeared?

Lets Think About This…

Are all parts of a forest where organisms live the same?

If so, explain why you think that. If no, explain why you think that.

What are some habitats (see p. 7 if you need to learn what a habitat is) in a forest?

Why do you find different kinds of organisms in different habitats?

Ecology

Study of interactions of living things with one another and their environment

Habitat

An environment that provides the resources, such as food, water, and shelter that an organisms needs to live, grow, and reproduce

Biotic vs. Abiotic Factors

Living Examples

Plants Animals Fungi Bacteria

Non-Living Examples

Water Sunlight Soil Air Temperature

Biotic vs. Abiotic Factors

Identify the biotic vs. abiotic factors in this image below.

Levels of Organization

Organism Population Community Ecosystem

Population

Organism

Community

Ecosystem

Organism

Living ThingI’m

ALIVE!!!

Population

All members of one species living in the same area Species-similar individuals that can mate to

produce fertile offspring Example… humans in Corunna

We’re alike… One big happy

population!

Community

All the different populations that live and interact together in an area

Example: Corunna Community consists of people, cats, dogs, birds, worms, insects, frogs, trees, flowers, grass, etcThese are

the organisms

we see each day…

Ecosystem

The community of organisms that live in a particular area along with their non-living surroundings

All the abiotic and biotic factors Examples: Corunna Ecosystem– includes

all community members plus pond, lake, fields, air we breath, etc.

Energy Roles in Ecosystem

Producers Consumers Decomposers

Do you KNOW your role?

Producers

Make their own food Use energy from the sunlight to turn raw

materials into food by the process of photosynthesis

Source of all food within an ecosystem Examples: plants, algae, blue-green

bacteria

Consumers

Cannot make their own food Feed directly or indirectly on producers

for food and energy How does these organisms differ?

Types of Consumers

Herbivores Only eat plants

Omnivores

Eats both plants & animals

Carnivores Only eats animals

Scavengers Eat bodies of

dead organisms

Yummy Salads!!!

I’ll have a trout with a

side of berries

I want to suck your blood!!!

Serve up the ROAD KILL!!!

Decomposers

Breaks down waste and dead organisms into simpler substances (decay)

Essential to Ecosystem Rid environment of dead bodies Return raw materials to ecosystem for

producers to use (recycle) Examples: Mushrooms (fungi) & Bacteria

Energy Transfers in Ecosystems Movement of energy through an

ecosystem can be shown in diagrams Food Chains Food Webs

Food Chains

Series of event in which one organism eats another to obtain energy

Shows only one possible path of energy

Arrow points in direction that energy flows

Decomposers usually left off, but mark the end of the chain

What will happen to the other organisms in the food chain if the grass dies?

Food Web

Most organisms eat more than one kind of food, there must be more than one food chain in an ecosystem

Consists of many overlapping food chains

If an organisms is removed, other organisms probably will not die because there are other food resources

Global Food Web- all the world’s food webs interconnected

Food Web

Consumers Levels

Location of a consumer along a food chain 1st Level- feeds on the producer 2nd Level-feeds on 1st level 3rd level feeds on 2nd level

Organisms use energy it obtains to grow, move, reproduce, and carry out activities

Rest of energy is lost to environment Each successive (higher) level will have less

energy available Fewer organisms at highest level, Since much

energy is lost

Food Web & Consumer Levels

1st Level Consumer

2nd Level Consumer

2nd Level Consumer

3rd Level Consumer

Producer

Energy Pyramid

Shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

Producers (1,000 kcal)

1st Level Consumers (100 kcal)

2nd Level Consumers (10 kcal)

3rd Level Consumers (1 kcal)

Energy decreases as you move up the pyramid…

Therefore, fewer

organisms

Energy…What happens to it? Stored in chemical bonds that make up

molecules of all living things At each link in food chain, molecules are

broken down (digested) and recombined into new molecules

Some energy used by organism for basic life functions

Much of energy dissipates into environment as heat

Flows from sun to producers to consumers to decomposers

References

Cronnin Jones Ph. D, L., & Lisowski, P. M. (2009). Prentice Hall Science Explorer: Environmental Science. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.