CHAPARRAL
Mr. Ward-Guthrie
11/26/13
8 th Grade Science
Chaparral – What is it?
Shrubland found in southern California and northern Baja California
- Mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers
- Important characteristic – serious wildfires!
The Food Web - Where does everything get its
food?
Carnivores & Omnivores
Herbivores
Plants
The Sun
The Sun – The source of energy for life
Hydrogen is fused into helium in a
nuclear reaction to produce energy
Producers of the Chaparral
Producers (green
plants) produce
their energy from
the sun via
photosynthesis.
Manzanita
Toyon
Scrub Oak
Chamise
Their fruit, seeds,
and leaves are
eaten by the
primary
consumers.
Primary Consumers of the Chaparral
Primary
consumers eat
the producers.
Pinyon Mouse
Mule Deer
Pinacate Beetle
Ground Squirrel
They, in turn,
are eaten by
the secondary
and tertiary
consumers.
Secondary Consumers of the Chaparral
Whiptail Lizard
Big-eared Bat
Rattlesnakes
Greater Roadrunner
Secondary
consumers are
typically
omnivores, both
eating plants and
animals.
They, in turn, are
eaten by the
tertiary
consumers, the
predators.
Tertiary Consumers of the Chaparral
Tertiary
consumers, also
known as apex
predators, are
‘top’ of the food
web.
Bobcat
Carnivorous, they
eat any level of
consumer in the
food web.
Coyotes
Golden Eagles
Energy – Where does it go?
In the food web, solar energy
is passed along from the
producers to the consumers.
Along the way, most of that
original energy is lost, either
as material that is not eaten
(bone, stem, roots, etc.) or
expended as the animal
moves, breathes, reproduces
or performs any of the
functions required for life.
The circle of life is a not really
a ‘circle’, but a complicated
web of interactions.
The End