Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

Its all about what you eat!

An organism is …..

Any independent living thing

Can be as small as a

single celled bacteria

Or as large as a whale!

The three categories of the food chain are…..

1) Producers

2) Consumers

3) Decomposers

They are all dependent on each other.

Producers Are- Producers get their

food and energy from the sun. (PLANTS)

They make their food through a process called photosynthesis.

Consumers Consumers need to

eat their food to get energy. (ANIMALS)

Types of consumers are

There are THREE types of ConsumersCarnivoresHerbivoresOmnivores.

Its still all about what you eat!

Carnivores only eat meat (other animals)

Herbivores eat only plants.

Omnivores eat both meat (animals) and plants.

Stop…Review…Check…Turn to your partner and tell them the meaning of each word. Also give two examples of each.

Carnivore:

Herbivore:

Omnivore:

Decomposers

Decomposers eat dead things and turn them back into dirt, or soil. YUK!

Examples:MushroomsWormsBugs

What would the world look like without decomposers (bacteria and fungi?

How they relate

.

The Energy (food) Pyramid

Energy is lost in the form of heat as you move up the pyramid.

Stop…Review…Check…Turn to your partner and tell them the meaning of each word. Also give two example of each.

Producers:

Consumers:

Decomposers:

On a sheet of note book paper describe the following animals as either a producer, consumer or decomposer. For the consumers, make sure to include if they are a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. Please use complete sentences! (Ex: A _____ is a ______.)

1. Bear

2. Shark

3. Rabbit

4. Cherry tree

5. Mushroom

6. Human

7. Tulip (flower)

8. Panther

9. Giraffe

10. Worm

Answer Key

1. Consumer / Omnivore

2. Consumer / Carnivore

3. Consumer / Herbivore

4. Producer

5. Decomposer

6. Consumer / Omnivore

7. Producer

8. Consumer / Carnivore

9. Consumer / Herbivore

10. Decomposer