Welcome!
Please go get your interactive
notebook from the bin.
Please read the board.
Ecology – the study of relationships
between organisms and their
environment
Biotic vs. Abiotic
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Legume
Oak tree
Rhizobium Bacteria
Bison
Human
Ladybug
Leaves on the ground
Deer antler
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Nitrogen
Air temperature
Water pH
Waves
Fire
Wind
Sunlight
Humidity
Nitrogen cycles through the
ecosystem
Energy Flow through Food
Webs
Energy
• All living things need energy to survive.
• The sun is the ultimate source of energy
for the earth.
• **Trophic levels – an organism’s
position in the food chain
Producers
• Also called autotrophs
– Auto (self), troph (feeder)
• Can take the energy from
sunlight and make food
– Plants, Bacteria, Protists 
Photosynthesis
– Some ancient forms of bacteria
can also use chemicals to make
food (deep-sea vents) 
Chemosynthesis
Consumers
• Need to eat other
organisms in order to
survive.
• Cannot make their own
food through
photosynthesis or
chemosynthesis.
4 types of Consumers
• 1. Carnivore
– Eat only other consumers
• 2. Herbivore
– Eat only plants
• 3. Omnivore
– Eat both plants and animals
• 4. Decomposers
– Eat dead organisms
Trophic Levels
(tree map)
Think, Pair, Share
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What category would the following
organisms be classified under?
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Producer or Consumer
Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore, Detritovore
Human
Horse
Mouse
Shark
Fungus
Synonyms
• Producer, Primary
Consumer, Secondary
Consumer, Tertiary
Consumer
– Are labeled in the order
in which the energy
travels to them.
– These are called trophic
(trow-fic) levels
Food Chains
• Show the feeding relationships between
different organisms
• What trophic level is
the mouse on?
• What two organisms
are producers?
Food Webs
• A series of interconnected food chains
What would happen to the
population of spiders if the insect
eating birds were removed from
the food web?
Can you predict any other
outcomes if the insect eating
birds are removed?
Energy Flow
• Arrows are used in a food chain to show
THE DIRECTION IN WHICH ENERGY
IS MOVING!
Secret of the arrows
• If you know the secret, you can identify the
trophic levels even if you don’t know the
organisms.
Food Webs & Energy Flow:
Secret of the arrows???
Get ready to show me what you
know!
Arrange your cards to make a
food web
• 1. Make sure the arrows point in the
direction of energy flow.
• 2. Draw the food web on the left page of
your notebook.
• 3. Label each organism with its trophic
level.
How wolves change rivers
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE
WOLF IN ITS ECOSYSTEM?
Habitat and Niche
• Habitat – place where
an organism lives
• Niche – organism’s
role in the ecosystem
• (prairie, bayou, bay,
forest)
• (trophic level,
symbiotic
relationships)
1. In this food chain, the
spiders are —
A producers
B primary consumers
C competitors
D secondary consumers
2. As energy flows from one trophic level to
the next, how much energy is actually
available for organisms at the next level?
A. 80%
B. 5%
C. 10%
D. 100%