Name:
Ecosystems: Life Line
* ECOSYSTEM An ecosystem includes the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) parts of the environment.
-Organisms compete for biotic and abiotic resources in their habitat, including space, food, shelter, and water.
Some of these resources may be limited or depleted by competition between organisms.
The main source of energy for ALL living things in
an ecosystem is ___________________, which is
an abiotic factor.
Identify each organism as a producer, consumer,
or decomposer based on how they get their energy.
Energy Transfer Throughout an Ecosystem
1. a coyote
_______________
2. grass
_______________
3. zebra
_______________
4. soil bacteria
_______________
5. conifer tree
_______________
6. mushroom
_______________
7. algae
_______________
8. seal
_______________
9. a banana
_______________
10. moss
_______________
Types of Consumers
Herbivore
Consumes only plants
Ex: giraffes, rabbits, cows
Consumes only meat
Ex: hawks, tigers, snakes
Consumes both plants and meat
Ex: humans, bears, ravens
Omnivores that consume DEAD
plants and animals
Ex: vultures, hyenas,
raccoons
(Primary Consumer)
Carnivore
(Secondary Consumer)
Omnivore
(Secondary or Tertiary Consumer)
Scavenger
(Secondary or Tertiary Consumer)
Identify each consumer as an herbivore, carnivore, omnivore or scavenger what they consume for energy.
1. a coyote- consumes deer and rabbits _______________
2. Badger – consumes insects, fruits, nuts and snakes _______________
3. a giraffe – consumes leaves _______________ 4. A fox – consumes mushrooms, berries, and mice _______________
5. a frog – consumes insects ______________
7. zebras – consums grasses _______________
6. Crows – consume decaying grains or insects _______________
8. Toucans – consume fruit _______________
* FOOD CHAIN One pathway of energy transfer through various stages of feeding patterns between organisms.
-
What do the arrows in a food chain show? ____________________
-
A food chain ALWAYS starts with a ____________________.
For each food chain below, predict what would happen to the flow of energy if a change were to occur in the ecosystem.
1. Over harvesting depletes much of the crab population. Duckweed Crabs Herons.
2. Hunters wipe out much of the otter population.
3. A lawn care company sprays poisonous fertilizer on the grass.
* FOOD WEB A diagram showing multiple feeding relationships between organisms living in an ecosystem.
Energy flows through various food chains as
animals eat plants and predators consume
prey, creating a food web.
The energy that flows through a food web
comes from the Sun.
How many food chains can you identify from the
food web above? Starting with each producer, list
2 food chains (6 total).
Ex: grass
grasshopper
fox
1.
2.
1.
2.
1.
2.
Energy Pyramid
TROPHIC LEVELS (ENERGY LEVELS) of organisms in a food chain range from producers (autotrophs), and
different levels of heterotrophs, including primary consumers (herbivores),secondary consumers (carnivores
that eat herbivores), and tertiary consumers (carnivores that eat carnivores). Decomposers
Carnivores or Omnivores
Carnivores or Omnivores
Herbivores
Producers
Deciduous Forest Food Web
The deer population is being over hunted…
How would the change in the ecosystem affect
the flow of energy throughout this food web?
Arctic Tundra Food Web
The over hunting of arctic wolves has depleted the wolf
population in the Canadian taiga. Explain how this change
will affect the ermine population.