Objective Food Chains Essential Question What is a

Objective: Food Chains Essential Question: What is a food chain? Warm-Up: Answer the following questions in complete sentences: • How are plants and animals different?

Words to Know: producer consumer predator prey food chain

All energy comes from the sun Plants use the sun’s energy to make food in which process? Photosynthesis!

We call plants producers because they produce energy from the sun directly.

Nearly all food chains start with a plant. COPY THIS DEFINITION! (notebook page 78) Green plants. Plants are called Producers: makeproducers their own because food. they produce their own food.

Animals (and people!) are consumers. Some consume plants to get the energy they need to live. Others consume other animals. (Which are you? )

Producer or Consumer? CONSUMER

Producer or Consumer? PRODUCER

Producer or Consumer? CONSUMER

Animals that eat other animals are called predators. Some animals are BOTH predators and prey. This means they eat some animals but are eaten by others.

Animals that are eaten by other animals are called prey. Some prey animals only eat plants. Some predators (that eat other animals) can also be prey to different animals.

Predator Prey

FOOD CHAINS Food CHAINS show what eats what in order to gain the energy it needs to live. Food CHAINS use arrows to show what eats what. Eaten by: Producer Consumer Where are the consumers and producers?

A food chain shows how energy is transferred between organisms Where does the energy FIRST come from?

How to Build A Food Chain… ALWAYS start with a PRODUCER! WHY? Plants absorb sunlight, which gives them energy to produce food. (That’s why we call these producers). Add a CONSUMER that eats plants. Add another CONSUMER that preys on other consumers.

How are we part of a food chain?

How are Humans part of this food chain?

Why do food chains have no more than four or five links? There cannot be too many links in a single food chain because the animals at the end of the chain would not get enough food (and hence energy) to stay alive. Most animals are part of more than one food chain

Sort these animals into a food chain. . Rabbit Grass Fox

Sort these animals into a food chain. . Grass

Your Favorite Food (Chain) Think of your FAVORITE meal (eg: hamburger and french fries, pizza, fried chicken and mashed potatoes) Write down your meal and all of its PARTS For EACH part of the meal… create a FOOD CHAIN (eg: If you chose a hamburger, where did the meat come from? The bun? The fries? )

Objective: Food Webs Essential Question: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Title: What a tasty web we weave Objective: describe and create a food web Words to Know: Herbivore Carnivore Omnivore Food web Question: What is the best way to show the flow of energy through organisms?

WARM UP Draw four food chains: remember what always comes first in a food chain AND then put each organism in the correct order 1. First food chain: deer, tree 2. Second food chain: snake, grass, hawk, mouse 3. Third food chain: hawk, grass, mouse 4. Fourth food chain: cricket, hawk, grass, frog

WARM UP 1. tree -> producer deer consumer 2. Grass -> mouse -> snake -> hawk producer consumer prey both predator 3. Grass -> mouse -> hawk producer consumer prey predator 4. Grass -> cricket -> frog -> hawk producer consumer prey both predator

In order to live, animals need energy. Some animals get the energy they need to live from eating plants and other vegetation. Some animals get their energy from eating other animals. Some animals eat both plants and other animals.

Animals that eat plants are called Herbivores. “Herbi” means “plants”. Herbivores have specialized teeth and stomachs to enable them to get the energy they need from plants.

Animals that eat plants are called Carnivores. “Carni” means “meat”. Carnivores have specialized teeth and stomachs to enable them to get the energy they need from the bodies of other animals.

Animals that eat plants and meat are called Omnivores. OMNI means “ALL” Humans are omnivores. Omnivores have teeth and stomachs that enable them to eat and digest both plants and meat.

Organism Wolf (eats foxes and rabbits) Moose (eatsgrass) Fox (eats rabbits) Bear (eats berries and fish) Rabbit(eat grass) Herbivore, Carnivore or Omnivore? Herbivore, Carnivore, or Omnivore (EXPLAIN) Carnivore: Eats ONLY meat Herbivore: Eats ONLY plants Carnivore: Eats ONLY meat Omnivore: Eats BOTH plants and meat Herbivore: Eats ONLY plants

Food Webs FOOD WEBS SHOW PLANTS & ANIMALS ARE INTERCONNECTED BY DIFFERENT PATHS.

Is a Food Chain a Good Model? No! A Food Web is a more complete picture of what really happens in nature. -Do owls ONLY eat mice? -Do mice ONLY eat grasshoppers? -Do any other animals eat mice? -Do any other animals eat grasshoppers? -AND do other animals in this ecosystem eat grass?

Food Webs n How many food chains can you make from this food web?

Food Webs create a food web… n How to n Put the FOUR food chains you drew for warm up together to create a food web

Your Food Web…

TABLE: For each organism (trees, deer, etc. ), decide whether it is a producer or consumer, predator or prey, and carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore. Mark an X under each category you choose. Producers Organism Trees Grass Deer Snake Hawk Mouse Cricket Frog Consumers Predators Prey Herbivores Omnivores Carnivores

TABLE: For each organism (trees, deer, etc. ), decide whether it is a producer or consumer, predator or prey, and carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore. Mark an X under each category you choose. Producers Consumers Predators Prey Herbivores Omnivores Carnivores Organism Trees Grass Deer Snake Hawk Mouse Cricket Frog X X X X X X

The Bottom of the Food Chain bottom trees sun grass chain Plants such as ________ and ___________ are at the ___________ of the food ___________. Plants get their energy from the ___________.

The Middle of the Food Chain deer herbivores rabbits carnivores omnivores Animals such as ___________ and ___________ get their energy by eating plants. They are called ___________, which means 'plant eaters. ' There are many more herbivores on our planet than ___________, which are animals that eat meat. Humans are ________

The Top of the Food Chain predators hunt prey lions both top ___________ such as wolves and ___________ are at the ___________ of the food chain. Predators are animals that ___________ other animals. The animals that they hunt are called ___________. Some animals are _____ predator and prey.

connected more The Food Web energy web Most animals belong to ___________ than one food chain, which means many food chains are ___________ together. Many food chains together form a food ___________. The food web shows how the sun's ___________ moves from plants to animals to other animals.

` n n 1. What would most likely cause the rabbit population to decrease (get smaller)? EXPLAIN your answer! (A) An increase in the number of grass and trees (B) An increase in the number of hawks (C) An increase in the number of deer in the area (D) An increase in the amount of available sunlight 2. Identify one of each (producer, consumer, predator, prey, omni/carni/herbivore) in the food web.

PART III

Objective: Decomposers Essential Question: What roles do decomposers and scavengers play in an ecosystem?

Words to Know: scavenger decomposers

Warm Up What happens to the remains of animals? (What happens to an animal’s body after it dies? What happens to poop that animals leave on the ground? )

Where does a Food Chain End? What happens to the Owl after it dies? ?

Scavengers and Decomposers The Earth’s Clean-Up Crew! When animals die, where do their bodies go? They get eaten! Scavengers and Decomposers eat dead remains to help keep the Earth clean.

Scavengers: Eat Dead Animals Some animals eat dead animals. n They are called scavengers. n Scavengers help break organic material into smaller pieces. n

SCAVENGERS

Are we done with our food chain, yet?

Are we done with our food chain, yet? n Scavengers eat dead stuff, but they CANNOT eat everything. n They leave behind a lot of unused energy and nutrients. What happens to the scavengers’ leftovers? n Decomposers eat the scraps and break down the remaining organic matter. n

Decomposers: Complete the Circle of Energy The Last Step of the Food Chain Bacteria

Decompose rs Bacteria Fungu s The Earth’s Clean-Up Crew!

Decompose rs

Decomposers are Everywhere! And there are LOTS of them! A pinch of soil may contain almost half a million fungi and billions of bacteria Decomposer Animation…

What do Decomposers Do? ? ? After scavengers break dead remains into smaller parts, n these smaller pieces are eaten by decomposers. n Decomposers eat animal and plant remains n Decomposers convert all remains into carbon dioxide (which they exhale during respiration) and nutrients. (DECOMPOSERS ARE PART OF THE CARBON CYCLE) n

What I Need to Know… Scavengers not the same… n Two types of decomposers (fungi and bacteria) n They complete the food chain and return the nutrients back to the beginning n Important because a) breaks down poop/dead stuff that we don’t want around and b) makes sure that nutrients don’t get wasted n

Why are Decomposers Important?

Opinion-Proof Opinion Decomposers are important and should not be banned n Scavengers not the same… n Two types of decomposers (fungi and bacteria) n They complete the food chain and return the nutrients back to the beginning n Important because a) breaks down poop/dead stuff that we don’t want around and b) makes sure that nutrients don’t get wasted

Opinion Proof________ What are decomposers? (Name the two types ) Decomposers should not be banned because they are How do decomposers help Important. the Earth? (Explain two ways) n

Are we done with our food chain, yet? n Scavengers eat dead stuff, but they CANNOT eat everything. n They leave behind a lot of unused energy and nutrients. What happens to the scavengers’ leftovers? n Decomposers eat the scraps and break down the remaining organic matter. n

Decomposers: Complete the Circle of Energy The Last Step of the Food Chain Bacteria

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER? SNAIL

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER? VULTURE

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER? MUSHROOM

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER? WORM

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER? COCKROACHE S

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER? BACTERIA

SCAVENGER Or DECOMPOSER ? MOLD

Decomposers Write and answer: 1. What is the difference between a worm and a mushroom? 2. What are the similarities between snails and mold? 3. What trophic level of the food chain are decomposers? 4. How do decomposers help the food chain?