TROPHIC LEVELS IN ECOSYSTEMS

1. TROPHIC LEVELS IN ECOSYSTEMS

2. Capturing and Releasing Energy • Everything that you do requires energy! • Most of the energy you use came primarily from THE SUN. • Since we use so much energy on a daily basis, you must be constantly renewing it in order to live.

3. The Producers (aka Autotrophs) • A producer is an organism that captures and stores energy from the sun as chemical energy. • It is later converted to GLUCOSE which can be used for many processes. • Energy is absorbed into producers via photosynthesis. • Common Producer: • PLANTS

4. The Consumers (aka Hetrotrophs) • Consumers are organisms that must get their food and energy by eating other organisms. • Primary consumers are the first link in a chain who primarily eat producers. • Secondary consumers are the next link and eat the primary consumers. • Tertiary consumers are the final link and eat the secondary consumers.

5. The Decomposers • Decomposers are organisms that break down dead plant and animal matter into simple compounds. • They are basically the “clean up crew” of an ecosystem. • Common decomposers: • Fungi • Worms

6. Food Chains • A food chain shows the relationship between a producer and a single chain of consumers in an ecosystem. • Example Bermuda Grass Grasshopper Snake Hawk

8. Food Webs • A food web shows the feeding relationships between many producers and consumers in an ecosystem. • Gives a better visualization of how energy is passed from organism to organism in a ecosystem.

10. Energy Pyramids • Energy pyramids shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level of an ecosystem. • Bottom are the Producers • Top are the Tertiary Consumers