Feeding Relationships There are 3 main types of

Feeding Relationships • There are 3 main types of feeding relationships 1. Producer - Consumer 2. Predator - Prey 3. Parasite - Host

Feeding Relationships Producer- all autotrophs (plants), they trap energy from the sun • Bottom of the food chain

Feeding Relationships Consumer- all heterotrophs: they ingest food containing the sun’s energy ØHerbivores ØCarnivores ØOmnivores ØDecomposers

Feeding Relationships CONSUMERS 1. Primary consumers • Eat plants • Herbivores 2. Secondary, tertiary … consumers • Prey animals • Carnivores or Omnivores

Feeding Relationships Consumer-Carnivores-eat meat • Predators – Hunt prey animals for food.

Feeding Relationships Consumer- Carnivores- eat meat • Scavengers – Feed on carrion, dead animals

Feeding Relationships Consumer- Omnivores -eat both plants and animals

Feeding Relationships Consumer. Decomposers • Breakdown the complex compounds of dead and decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be absorbed

Label Your Organism: Producer, Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore, Decomposer, or Scavenger

Nitrosomonas is a genus of bacteria and a decomposer in the coral reef. Add it to the food web, then compare food webs with a partner.

Energy Flow Food chain- simple model that shows how energy moves through an ecosystem in ONE direction The ARROW shows where the ENERGY goes!

Trophic Levels • Each link in a food chain is known as a trophic level. • Trophic levels represent a feeding step in the transfer of energy in an ecosystem.

Trophic Levels • Only 10% of the energy is able to be stored in the organisms tissues and transferred to the next trophic level. • The rest of the energy was used by the organism for life processes or given off as heat.

Energy Flow Food web- shows all possible feeding relationships in a community at each trophic level • Represents a network of interconnected food chains • Remember: ARROW = ENERGY

Food chain (just 1 path of energy) Food web (all possible energy paths)

Biomass- the amount of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a habitat. • As you move up a food chain, both available energy AND biomass decrease. • WHY? ? ?

Ecological Pyramids 3 Types: • Biomass Pyramid (Kg) – Amount of living tissue in an ecosystem • Energy Pyramid (J or C) – Flow of energy in an ecosystem • Pyramid of Numbers – Number of organisms in each trophic level These 3 types may be combined!

Biomass Pyramid Note: Kilogram (Kg) is a unit of mass.

Energy Pyramid E N E R 0. 1% Tertiary consumerstop carnivores 1% Secondary consumers- t a e small carnivores H 10% H Primary consumers- Herbivores G 100% Y at e H Producers- Autotrophs t a e

Energy Pyramid Note: Joules (J) & Kilocalories (C) are units of energy

Pyramid of Numbers