Energy Flow in Ecosystems - PowerPoint Presentation

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Energy Flow inEcosystems

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Ecology – the study of the relationships between organisms and their environmentEcosystem -- a community of organisms and their nonliving environmentEnvironment – everything that affects an organism (living & nonliving)Slide3

Community – all of the populations of different species that live in the same areaPopulation – a group of individuals of the same species that live together in the same areaSpecies – characterized by a group of organisms that can breed with one another to produce fertile offspringSlide4

Components of an EcosystemAll the living and nonliving things that interact in a particular area.Organisms in an ecosystem are called biotic factors. Organisms in an ecosystem interact with one another.They also interact with the nonliving things, or abiotic factors.Slide5

Biotic AbioticAll living organisms such as:PlantsAnimalsBacteriaFungiTemperatureWaterOxygenSoilSunlightSlide6

ProducersAn organism that uses sunlight directly to make its own food. Producers are the source of all the food in an ecosystem. PlantsAlgae (main producers in the ocean)Some bacteriaSlide7

ProducersEnergy enters most ecosystems as sunlight. Organisms, such as plants, algae, and some bacteria, capture the energy of sunlight and store it as food energy. These organisms use the sun’s energy to turn water and carbon dioxide into food molecules in a process called photosynthesis.Slide8

Deep Water Thermal Vents In a few ecosystems, producers obtain energy from a source other than sunlight. One such ecosystem is found in rocks deep beneath the ground called thermal vents. Certain bacteria make their own food by using energy in a gas, hydrogen sulfide, that is found in their deep water environment.Slide9

ConsumersSome members of an ecosystem cannot make their own food. An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms is a consumer.Herbivore – a consumer that eats plantsGrasshoppers, gophers, prairie dogs, bisonCarnivore – a consumer that eats animalsspiders, snakes, coyotes, hawks, owlsOmnivore – eat both plants and animalsinsects, scorpions, lizards, humansSlide10

ScavengersAn animal that feeds on the dead bodies of other animalsTurkey vulture, catfish, snails, worms, crabsSlide11

DecomposersIf an ecosystem had only producers and consumers, the raw materials of life would stay locked up in wastes and the bodies of dead organisms.Fortunately, decomposers break down wastes and dead organisms and return the raw materials to the ecosystem.Oh no, decomposersSlide12

DecomposersAn organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organismsBacteria FungiDecomposers are nature’s recyclers. While obtaining energy for their own needs, decomposers return simple molecules to the environment. Molecules such as nitrogen and calcium can be used again by plants and other living things.

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Food ChainThe path of energy from one feeding level to another and obtains energy. Chain reactionSlide14

The first organism in a food chain is always a producer. Can you name three producers?______________________________Food Chains & WebsSlide15

The second organism feeds on the producer and is called a first-level consumer. The termite is a first level consumer.A second-level consumer eats the first-level consumer. So the Woodpecker would eat the termite.

Food Chains and WebsSlide16

Flow of EnergyA consumer that eats a consumer that already ate a consumerIs called a 3rd level consumer or tertiary consumerMay be a carnivore or an omnivore

May be a

predator

May be a scavenger Slide17

Food WebAll of the food chains in a community linked together; Represents the many paths by which energy can flow through an ecosystemSlide18

The arrows show how the energy flows through the food web! Can you identify the first, second, and third level consumers?Slide19

Energy PyramidsWhen organisms in an ecosystem eats, it obtains energy. The organism uses this energy to move, grow, reproduce, and carry out other life activities. This means that only some of the energy it obtains will be available to the next organism in a food web. The energy pyramid above shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to the next. The most energy is available at the producer level of the pyramid. As you move up the pyramid, each level has less energy available than the level below.Slide20

Energy PyramidsOnly about 10 percent of the energy at one level of a food web is transferred to the next higher lever. The other 90 percent of energy is used by the organisms life or is lost by heat. As a result, there is not enough energy to support many feeding levels in an ecosystem.Slide21

Energy PyramidSince so much energy is lost at each level, the amount of energy available at the producer level limits the number of consumers that the ecosystem is able to support. As a result, there are usually fewer organisms at the highest level in a food web.Slide22
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Where Did Your Dinner Come From?Did you eat a producer?Are you a omnivore or maybe a carnivore?Slide24

Where Did Your Dinner Come From?On the blank lines provided, list the different types of foods you ate for dinner last night.Under each item, write the name of the plant, animal, or other organism that was the source of that food. Some foods have more than one source.For example, macaroni and cheese contains flour (which is made from a plant such as wheat) and cheese (which comes from an animal).Classifying: How many of your food sources were plants? How many were animals? Do you know their placement in the food chain?