ENERGY IN ECOSYSTEMS FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS
ENERGY IN ECOSYSTEMS & FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS 13. 3 & 13. 4
WHERE DOES ENERGY COME FROM? • THE SUN!!! • Producers – get energy from non-living resources • Make their own food • Also considered “autotrophs” – self nourishment • Consumers – get energy from living resources • Need to eat stuff • Also considered “heterotrophs” – different nourishment
ENERGY FLOW IN AN ECOSYSTEM
SPECIAL CASES • Chemosynthesizers do not need sunlight to make food • Use chemicals in their surroundings • Considered chemoautotrophs – chemical self nourishment • Examples? • Hydrothermal pools/vents, marshy areas
FOOD CHAINS • Links species by their feeding relationship • One producer and a single chain of consumers
TYPES OF CONSUMERS • • • Herbivores – eat plant matter Carnivores – eat other animals Omnivores – eat both plants and animals Detritivores – eat dead organic matter Decomposers – detritivores that break down organic matter into simpler compounds
TROPHIC LEVELS • Levels of nourishment in food chains • • • Producer – plants Primary consumer – grasshopper Secondary consumer – frog Tertiary consumer – snake Quaternary consumer – hawk
FOOD WEBS • Shows the big picture • Indicates complex feeding relationships and energy flow within an ecosystem • Can also sometimes show energy flow beyond the ecosystem
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