Energy Flow:
Autotrophs
Sunlight is the main source of
energy for life on Earth.
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Autotrophs (also known as
producers) have chlorophyll that
captures the energy that allows a
plant to assemble glucose during
photosynthesis.
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Energy Flow:
Autotrophs
The best know autotrophs are those that use the
power of the sun to create glucose through
photosynthesis.
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The second type of autotrophs use chemical energy to
make glucose. This is performed by several types of
bacteria.
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Autotrophs are the foundation of all ecosystems
because they make energy available to all other
organisms on earth that are not capable of
photosynthesis.
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Energy Flow:
Heterotrophs
Heterotrophs: (also known
as consumers) consume
other organisms for their
energy and food.
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Types of Heterotrophs
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Herbivores obtain energy by eating plants.
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Example: Cow, rabbit, caterpillars
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Carnivores eat animals.
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Example: Wolves, lions, owls
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Omnivores eat both plants
and animals.
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Example: Bears, humans
Types of Heterotrophs
Detritivores feed on the remains of dead plants &
animals and break the remains down to simple nutrients
so that other organisms can consume them.
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Example: Worms, aquatic insects
Decomposers a type of detritivores, they break down
dead remains by releasing digestive enzymes
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Example: Fungi, bacteria
Feeding Relationships
Food Chain
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one
direction, from the sun or inorganic
compounds to autotrophs (producers) and
then to various heterotrophs (consumers).
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Food Chains are a series of steps in which
organisms transfer energy by eating or being
eaten.
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Food webs more complex than a food
chain, they show interactions within an
ecosystem.
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Feeding
Relationships
Each step in a food
chain or web is called a
trophic level. Producers
make up the first step,
consumers make up the
higher levels.
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Food Chain: Arrows point
toward the consumers
What is the producer in the
food chain?
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What is the primary (1st) level
consumer?
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What is the secondary (2nd)
level consumer?
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What is the tertiary (3rd) level
consumer?
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What is the quaternary (4th)
level consumer?
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Food Web
Is the frog an herbivore or
and omnivore?
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Is the snake a carnivore or
an omnivore?
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What trophic level is the
squirrel?
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Which carnivore consumes
the mouse?
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Ecological Pyramids
An ecological
pyramid is a diagram
that shows the
relationship amounts
of energy or matter
contained within
each trophic level in
a food web or food
chain.
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Ecological Pyramids
Energy Pyramid only 10%
of the energy available
within one trophic level is
transferred to organisms at
the next trophic level.
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Ecological Pyramids
Pyramid of Numbers
show the relative
number of organisms at
each trophic level. As the
pyramid moves up the
trophic levels the
number of organisms
decrease because there
is less energy available to
support the organisms
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