Mono Lake Food Webs
Investigation 4
What are Ecosystems?
• An ecosystem is the interaction between
the biotic and abiotic factors in a specific
area.
• What were some of the interactions in the
Mono Lake Ecosystem?
What are feeding relationships?
• Interaction between organisms where one
organism eats another. (Feeding
Relationship).
• Example: California Gull and the Brine Fly
Organism Cards
• Organism Cards
– Photograph
– Scientific name
– Information about Life Cycle
– Information about feeding relationships
– Role in Ecosystem
Activity
• Work in groups of 2-4
• Read the cards to become familiar with all
the organisms
• Organize the cards with picture side up
• Use the arrows to show feeding
relationships between organisms
• Organisms can be in a feeding relationship
with many organisms.
• 20 minutes on activity
How should arrows be drawn in a
feeding relationship?
•
•
•
•
In the direction of the flow of energy
Which is correct??????
A. Fly  Spider
B. Fly  Spider
Food Chains
• In an ecosystem, many organism survive
by eating other organisms. The benefits of
the food eaten by one organism can then
move to another organism and another, as
each one is eaten. The path that food
takes from one organism to another
organism is called a FOOD CHAIN.
One Food Chain in the Web
• Planktonic Algae
• Brine Shrimp
• California Gull
• Coyote
Food Web
• Interaction of many feeding relationships
in an ecosystem.
• This is what you developed today.
Questions
• Which organisms in the food web do not
eat any other organisms?
• How can they survive without eating other
organisms?
• How do animals get their food?
• What are the decomposers in this food
web?
• What are their roles in the food web?