Ecology: Energy transfer

Paul ShymanskiEDIM 510

Presentation Assignment

Energy Flow

• Energy- Every living thing needs energy to survive; Where do they get it?

• The Sun

Producers

• Producers- Plants are called producers. This is because they produce their own food! They do this by using light energy from the Sun, carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to produce food - in the form of glucose/sugar. The process is called

photosynthesis.

Consumers

• Consumers-Animals are called consumers. This is because they cannot make their own food, so they need to consume (eat) plants and/or animals.

Consumers

• 3 types:– Carnivores- animals that eat other animals

– Herbivores- animals that eat plants

– Omnivores- animals that eat both plants and animals

Predators and prey

• Predator- an organism that eats another organism

Predators and Prey

• Prey- an organism that the predator eats

Decomposers

• Decomposer- Bacteria and fungi are decomposers. They eat decaying matter - dead plants and animals and in the process they break them down and decompose them When that happens, they release nutrients and mineral back into the soil - which then will be used by plants.

Food Chain

• A food chain shows how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from creature to creature.

• A simple food chain could start with grass, which is eaten by rabbits. Then the rabbits are eaten by foxes.

Food Web

• A food web shows all the connected chains and how energy flows through the community

Review

• What is this?

• Consumer, eating producer, watching out for predators, so it dose not become prey!