Energy Flow in an Ecosystem 1 Energy Flow

Energy Flow • Energy in an ecosystem originally comes from the sun • Energy

Producers • Sunlight is the main source of energy for most life on earth.

Autotrophs • An Autotroph is any organism that can produce its own food supply!

Niche of a Producer • Captures energy and transforms it into organic, stored energy

Habitat of Photoautotrophs • On Land – Plants • In The Sea – Algae

Consumers Heterotrophs eat other organisms to obtain energy. (e. g. animals) • Herbivores –

Consumers Heterotrophs eat other organisms to obtain energy. • Omnivores (Humans) – Eat Plants

Feeding Relationships Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction from producers to various

Feeding Relationships • Food Chain – Simple Energy path through an ecosystem • Food

Food Chain 1 st order Consumer 2 nd Order Consumer 3 rd Order consumer

Trophic Levels Each Level In A Food Chain or Food Web is a Trophic

Trophic Levels • Carnivores/Omnivores – Make Up The Remaining Trophic Levels Each level depends

Ecological Pyramids Graphic Representations Of The Relative Amounts of Energy or Matter At Each

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Energy Flow in an Ecosystem 1

Energy Flow • Energy in an ecosystem originally comes from the sun • Energy flows through Ecosystems from producers to consumers – Producers (make food) – Consumers (use food by eating producers or other consumers) 2

Producers • Sunlight is the main source of energy for most life on earth. • Producers contain chlorophyll & can use energy directly from the sun 3

Autotrophs • An Autotroph is any organism that can produce its own food supply! • Autotrophs are also called Producers • Plants, algae, some protists, & some bacteria are examples 4

Niche of a Producer • Captures energy and transforms it into organic, stored energy for the use of living organisms. • May be photoautotrophs using light energy (e. g. plants) • May be chemoautotrophs using chemical energy (e. g. cyanobacteria) 5

Habitat of Photoautotrophs • On Land – Plants • In The Sea – Algae • Tidal Flats & Salt Marshes – Cyanobacteria 6

Consumers Heterotrophs eat other organisms to obtain energy. (e. g. animals) • Herbivores – Eat Only Plants • Carnivores – Eat Only Other Animals 7

Consumers Heterotrophs eat other organisms to obtain energy. • Omnivores (Humans) – Eat Plants & Animals • Detritivores (Scavengers) – Feed On Dead Plant & Animal Remains (buzzards) • Decomposers – Fungi & Bacteria 8

Feeding Relationships Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction from producers to various levels of consumers 9

Feeding Relationships • Food Chain – Simple Energy path through an ecosystem • Food Web – More realistic path through an ecosystem made of many food chains 10

Food Chain 1 st order Consumer 2 nd Order Consumer 3 rd Order consumer 4 th Order Consumer Producer (trapped sunlight & stored food) 11

Food Web 12

Trophic Levels Each Level In A Food Chain or Food Web is a Trophic Level. • Producers – Always The First Trophic Level – How Energy Enters The System • Herbivores – Second Trophic Level 14

Trophic Levels • Carnivores/Omnivores – Make Up The Remaining Trophic Levels Each level depends on the one below it for energy. 15

Ecological Pyramids Graphic Representations Of The Relative Amounts of Energy or Matter At Each Trophic Level May be: Energy Pyramid Biomass Pyramid of Numbers 16

Energy Pyramid 17