Types of Organisms

“Organism” is the word for a living thing.

There are thousands of different species of organisms in the world.

But they all must have energy to live.

There are thousands of different organisms in the world.

But all organisms belong to one of three groups, or types.

producers

producers

consumers

producers

consumers

decomposers

Notes:1

What is the word for

“a living thing”?

Notes:1

What is the word for

“a living thing”?

organism

Producers are plants.

Plants produce the energy they need. They make food from sunlight.

Produces are plants.

Plants can produce the energy they need.

They make food from sunlight.

An important producers in aquatic (water)

ecosystems is algae.

Algae is a plant that produces food so like

most plants it is green.

Billions of tiny algae floating in water is

what makes it appear to be green.

Notes:2

Which type of organisms can make food?

Notes:2

Which type of organisms can make food?

Producers (plants)

Notes:3

What is the tiny aquatic plant that provides food for the smallest water animals?

Notes:3

What is the tiny aquatic plant that provides food for the smallest water animals?

Algae

Consumers are animals.

Consumers must consume other organisms to get the energy they need.

Consumers must consume other organisms to get the energy they need.

Consumers must consume other organisms to get the energy they need.

Consumers must consume other organisms to get the energy they need.

Consumers must consume other organisms to get the energy they need.

The smallest consumers in aquatic (water) ecosystems are called zooplankton.

Zooplankton are actually tiny.

These plankton are magnified many times.

Plankton can look like this.

…..or this

…..or sometimes like this.

Notes:3

Notes:4

Which type of organism must eat other organisms for food?

Notes:4

Which type of organism must eat other organisms for food?

Consumers (animals)

Decomposers can be plants or animals.

Decomposers can be plants or animals.

Decomposers get the energy they need from dead, rotting material.

Most decomposers are microorganisms too small to see without a microscope, like these bacteria.

Decomposers are all around us.

Decomposers are all around us. They don’t eat organisms that are still alive.

Decomposers only start eating when organisms die.

Notes:5

Which type of organism eats rotten dead plants and animals for food?

Notes:5

Which type of organism eats rotten dead plants and animals for food?

Decomposers

Notes:6

What is the word for a very small living thing?

Notes:6

What is the word for a very small living thing?

Microorganism

Notes:7

Most decomposers are microorganisms.

What is the name of the microorganisms that are most decomposers?

Notes:7

Most decomposers are microorganisms.

What is the name of the microorganisms that are most decomposers?

Bacteria

Not all decomposers are too small to see, but they are all small.

Mushrooms are a type of decomposer.

Fungi like these mushrooms are plants that decompose

rotting material.

Some types of insects are decomposers.

These termites eat dead wood and turn it into soil.

Some types of worms are decomposers.

Worms eat garbage and turn it into soil.

Adult flies aren’t decomposers.

But their larva (babies) are.

Flies are attracted to rotting things that smell bad. That’s

where they like to lay their eggs.

Fly eggs hatch into larva are called maggots.

Maggots are the squirmy white bugs that you might see in a dead animal.

They may seem disgusting but maggots are an important component in an ecosystem.

Notes:8

What are the decomposing insects that eat dead trees?

Notes:8

What are the decomposing insects that eat dead trees?

Notes:8

Termites

What insect lays eggs on dead animals that hatch into decomposing larva called maggots?

Notes:9

What insect lays eggs on dead animals that hatch into decomposing larva called maggots?

Notes:9

fly

All decomposers work to break down dead organisms into the organic material that makes soil rich and fertile.

The organic material in soil is called humus (hyoo muhs).

Rich soil with lots of organic humus is more fertile and grows better plants.

Soil with no humus would just be sand. Plants do not grow well in sand.

Notes:a

What do decomposers add to soil?

Notes:10

What do decomposers add to soil?

Notes:10

Organic material called humus(hyoo muhs).

What is the word for nutrient-rich soil that has lots of humus?

Notes:11

What is the word for nutrient-rich soil that has lots of humus?

Notes:11

Fertile(fur tul)

Producers, consumers, and decomposers all work together to keep life growing on Earth.

We draw pictures of the way energy moves from one organism to another with

food chains and food webs.

The arrows in a food web point in the direction the energy is moving, or to put it another way, from the food to the eater.

The mouse eats the plant

The snake eats the mouse

The bird eats the snake

But what about all the arrows going to the decomposers?

Decomposers eat the energy from dead plants and animals,

even the energy that is in consumer’s poop.

Decomposers recycle the nutrients into soil which gives plants some of the

material they need.

Decomposers recycle the nutrients into soil which gives plants some of the

material they need.

Different ecosystems have different organisms in their food webs.

Competition is what we call it when two or more organisms

need the same resource.

Competition is shown in a food web when arrows point

from one food source to more than one consumer.

Competition is shown in a food web when arrows point

from one food source to more than one consumer.

Four kinds of insects are competing for this plant.

Can you find competition in this food web?

Notes:a

What is it called when two or more organisms need the same resource (like food).

Notes:12

What is it called when two or more organisms need the same resource (like food)?

Notes:12

Competition

How can you find competition in a food web?

Notes:13

How can you find competition in a food web?

Notes:13

Arrows point to more than one consumer.

How can you find competition in a food web?

Notes:13

Arrows point to more than one consumer.

The arrows show that cats and owls compete for mice.

A food web shows what animals eats.

If all the arrows pointing to an animal come from plants, that animal is an herbivore.

If all the arrows pointing to an animal come from other animals, that animal is an carnivore.

If the arrows pointing to an animal come from plants and animals, that animal is an omnivore.

What type of consumer only eats plants?

Notes:14

What type of consumer only eats plants?

Notes:14

Herbivore

What type of consumer only eats animals?

Notes:15

What type of consumer only eats animals?

Notes:15

Carnivore

What type of consumer only both plants and animals?

Notes:16

What type of consumer only both plants and animals?

Notes:16

Omnivore

What type of consumer only eats animals?

Notes:14

Herbivores

There is another fact about food webs that we

need to understand.

Not all of the energy makes it to the top of the web.

There are many more trees than giraffes.

There are many more giraffes than lions.

This model of the food chain is called an energy pyramid.

A pyramid

is small at the top

and big at the

bottom.Energy pyramid

Only about 1/10 of the energy move up at each level.

Notes:17

How much of the energy moves up each level in a food chain?

Notes:17

How much of the energy moves up each level in a food chain? 10%

Plankton