Life Science – 4 th Grade

1. Life Science – 4th Grade L.O. I will describe food chains in detail.

2. Food Chains • Shows path of food energy • *The first link in a food chain is a producer. • All living things need energy to survive • They get energy from food • Some eat plants • Some eat other animals • Plants don’t eat food, they make their own

3. *Producers • *Plants and trees are the producers • *mainsource of energy in food chain • Use sunlight to make food - Photosynthesis • Get their energy from the sun • *Original source of energy for living things is the sun

4. *Consumers • *Animals that consume or eat • They eat other animals and/ or • They eat producers (plants) • * Energy flows from the sun to PRODUCERS (plants producing food) to CONSUMERS • *The other 3 links in a food chain are Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores

5. 1sttype of consumer - Herbivores • *Eat only producers -plants butterfly grasshopper mouse bison

6. 2ndtype of consumers – Carnivores • *Only eat other animals – consumers coyote snake hawk

7. 3rdtype of consumer – Omnivores • Animals that eat both producers and consumers raccoon grizzly bear pig And don’t forget HUMANS!

8. Food Chain energy flows to owl energy flows to *DEPEND ON EACH OTHER, But also COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER energy flows to grass Producer Mouse 1st Consumer Herbivore coyote

9. DAY 2

10. Organism – a living thing • Cell is basic unit that makes up all living things • Microorganism- organism that cannot be seen without microscope

11. Some microorganisms have one cell – algae, amoeba, yeast, and bacteria • Bacteria are microorganisms found in all living organisms and everywhere on earth • Some bacteria can be bad and make you sick – but most are good

12. *Fungi are organisms – examples are *mushrooms and mold • Mold can spoil food, but mushrooms are yummy to eat and are good for you

13. Producer (plant/tree) dies • Microorganisms start using dead producer to grow, but in the process are breaking down the dead producer

14. Decomposers • They are consumers • *They break down the remains of dead organisms • *So, bacteria and fungi helps in decomposition of a fallen tree • They connect both ends of the food chain maggots mushrooms bacteria earthworms

15. *Bacteria helps to recyclematter and nutrients from dead plants back into the soil • So all food chains end with decomposers

16. Decomposers break down dead stuff, recycling nutrients back into soil to be used by new plants, starting the process all over again • *Microorganisms are important to the ecosystem

17. What is an ecosystem? • Ecosystems are made up of living and non-living things that interact in an area

18. **In a tropical rainforest: • Colorful birds • Fruit and nut trees • Warm all the time • Lots of rain

19. In a desert: • Cactus • Lizards • Snakes • Tortoise • *Non-living is water, air, soil, and light • *The differences in non-living elements determine life or death in an ecosystem.

20. *2 ways animals can help in the dispersal (spreading) of seeds so plants can grow in different areas • *Birds drop them • *Seeds stick on animal fur – animal drops seeds in other places, new plants grow there