Created by Mr. Hemmert
 L5.3: Tracing the flow of energy through a food chain
 Example: producer, first-level consumer, second-level
consumer, and third-level consumer
Turn and talk to your partner about this picture. What do you think is
happening here? Is energy being transferred?
 Energy transfer always begins with the Sun. Actually,
most of the living things on Earth get the energy they
need to live from sunlight. Green plants and algae use
energy in sunlight, plus water, and carbon dioxide to
make their own food. This process is called
Photosynthesis.
 Any living thing that can produce its own food is
called a producer.
 Can you name some producers?
 Green plants, trees, moss, algae…etc
 An animal that eats plants or other animals is called a
consumer.
 Consumers cannot make their own food.
 Can you name some consumers?
Consumers
 Some animals, such as deer and cattle, get the energy
they need to live by eating plants. When these animals
eat, the energy stored in plants moves (transfers) into
the animals bodies.
 Consumers that eat only plants (producers) are called
herbivores.
 Not all animals eat plants. Lions and hawks, for
example , get the energy they need by eating other
animals.
 An animal that eats only other animals is called a
carnivore.
 Who is the carnivore in these pictures?
 An animal that eats both plants (producers) and other
animals (consumers) is called and omnivore.
 Example of an omnivore: Bear
 Bears eat both producers (plants) and consumers
(other animals)
 What do we call animals you make their own food?
 Producers
 Can you name some examples?
 Animals who cannot make their own food and have to
eat other plants or animals are called?
 Consumers
 Can you name some examples?
 Consumers that eat only plants are called?
 Herbivores
 Can you name some examples of herbivores?
 Consumers that eat only other animals are called?
 Carnivores
 Can you name some examples of Carnivores?
 Consumers that eat both plants and animals are
called?
 Omnivores
 Can you name some examples of omnivores?
 What is the difference between a producer and a
consumer? Can you give two examples of each?
Discuss your answer with your partner.
 A producer is a living thing and makes its own food.
An example could be any living plant. A consumer is a
living thing that gets its energy by eating producers or
other consumers. Examples include any animal.
 Consumers that eat other consumers that have already
died are called scavengers.
 An example is a vultures and hyenas.
 Bacteria and fungi that break down dead and decaying
plant and animal matter and enrich the soil.
 Examples: mushrooms, bacteria, Yeasts, mildew
Mold is a decomposer. It is breaking down the bread.
Maggots decomposing meat.
 Maggots are useful in treating deep wounds without
increasing the risk of further infection. Maggots work
because they eat dead tissue within the wound, which
can promote infection. This treatment seems to help
reduce the risk of infection after surgery because the
larvae are thought to secrete substances that fight
infection.
 Some animals eat dead animals or carrion. They are
called scavengers. They help break down or reduce
organic material into smaller pieces. These smaller
pieces are then eaten by decomposers. Decomposers
eat dead materials and break them down into
chemical parts. Nitrogen, carbon and other nutrients
can then be used again by plants and animals.
 Without decomposers and scavengers, the world
would be covered with dead plants and animals!
 Science WB p. RS 34-RS35