Energy Transfer All living things need energy to

Energy Transfer All living things need energy to survive

Where does energy come from Energy comes from food Plants Energy Comes from the sun through photosynthesis Animal Energy Comes from eating either plants, animals, or both plants and animals • ***The source of most life giving energy comes from the Sun! • • •

Capturing the Sun’s Energy • Animals (most) cannot use the Sun’s energy to make food • Only producers (plants) can change the Sun’s energy into good energy through photosynthesis

Food Chain • Consumer eats a producer, some of the stored energy is passed on to the consumer • If consumer is eaten by another consumer, energy is passed on to the second consumer • If the second consumer is eaten by another consumer, energy is passed on to the third consumer • Transfer of energy creates a food chain

Food Chain: is the path of energy transfer from one organism to another Grass Mouse Cat Hawk

Moving Up The Line • Plants are often the first link in the food chain • 1 st Order Consumers = organisms that eat producers • Examples: mice, grasshoppers, rabbits • 2 nd Order Consumers = eat 1 st Order Consumers • Do 2 nd Order Consumers depend on 1 st Order Consumers?

Food Chains & Decomposers • Where are decomposers in the food chain? • Decomposers get energy from breaking down dead plants and animal matter. • Can be found in soil • Example: bacteria, fungi, worms

What is a food web? • Consumers and decomposers get energy from more than one kind of food. • Organism can be part of many food chains • Food chains can overlap • The overlapping of food chains form food webs

Food Web