Description of Food chains and web,

1. Introduction to
ENERGY FLOW
FOOD CHAINS
& WEBS

2. the ultimate energy source
sun eclipse with palm

3. Energy Flow in
Ecosystems
Energy flows from where into
the biological world?

4. Energy Flow
 How does the sun’s energy
enter the biological world?
 What is photosynthesis?

5. Energy Flow
 The sun’s energy flows into
organisms that can change the
sunlight into food then into
organisms that eat them.
 This flow is:
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

6. Do you get more energy
from the baked potato
or the steak?
omnivore

7. PRODUCERS
 What are producers?
 Autotrophs that trap solar energy
into organic molecules during
photosynthesis; can produce their
own food
 Ex. Plants, algae and some
bacteria
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

8. CONSUMERS
 What are consumers?
 Heterotrophs that eat other
organisms to obtain energy
 Examples: deer, rabbits, cows,
mice, lions, humans, hawks,
snakes
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

9. HERBIVORES
 What are herbivores?
 Organisms that eat
plants
 Primary Consumers
 Ex. Cows, caterpillars, bunnies
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

10. CARNIVORES
 What are carnivores?
 Organisms that eat meat (other
animals/consumers)
 Secondary Consumers
 Ex. tigers, wolves, snakes, hawks
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

11. TOP CARNIVORES
 What is a top-level carnivore?
 Top-level carnivores eat
secondary consumers; usually
nothing feeds on them
 Ex. killer whale eating a sea
lion or hawk eating a snake. consumer 3
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

12. OMNIVORES
 What are omnivores?
 Consumers that eat both plants
and animals
 Primary and Secondary
Consumers
 Ex. bears and humans

13. Where do all
the dead things go?
 They
are eaten.  They
decay.
YUMMMM! SMELLY!
What’s the difference?
Is it just a matter of taste?

14. Detritivore vs
Decomposers
 Detritivores
and decomposers
both feed on the remains of dead
plants and animals and other
dead matter (detritus)
 They rely on dead
tissues for nutrients.

15. Detritivore vs
Decomposers
 Detritivores  Decomposers
eat the breakdown
remains of (decay) organic
dead plants matter and feed
and animals on it
Crabs, mites, Bacteria & fungi
earthworms,
snails

16. Detritivores and
Decomposers
 What is a scavenger?
A scavengers is
a type of
detritivore that
feeds on carrion
(dead animal
remains). Ex. vultures, sharks,
maggots, hyenas

17. Detritivores and
Decomposers
 On what do detritivores and
decomposers feed?

18. Detritivores and
Decomposers
 Why would they be called the
environmental “recyclers”?
 They decompose excrement, dead
bodies and leaf litter, returning
nutrients to the
physical
decomposer
environment. consumer 3
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

19. Energy Flow
 The series of steps in which
organisms transfer energy by
eating and being eaten is
called a
 Food Chain
sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

20. Food Chains & Food Webs
 The steps in the transfer of energy
from organism to organism in
feeding relationships are called
 Trophic Levels.
 How does a food chain describe
this path of energy? (arrows)
producer consumer 1 consumer 2 consumer 3

21. Food Chains & Food Webs
 Name the number of the trophic
levels in the food chain below.
 How do the trophic level numbers
correspond with the “eating
terms”?
producer consumer 1 consumer 2 consumer 3
Trophic
Level 1 2 3 4

22. Food Chains & Food Webs
 What important energy transfer is
not shown in a food chain?
 Why is it that some energy is lost
from one level to the next level?
 How much energy is actually
passed on to the next level? (rule
of thumb)
producer consumer 1 consumer 2 consumer 3

23. Food Chains & Food Webs
 What vital “recycler” is not shown
in this food chain?
 Upon which organism(s) would it
feed?
decomposer
producer consumer 1 consumer 2 consumer 3

24. Food Chains & Food Webs
 If
all of the snakes in this chain died,
what would happen to the hawk?
 To the decomposers?
decomposer
producer consumer 1 consumer 2 consumer 3

25. Food Chains & Food Webs
 Most organisms feed on more than
one trophic level and feed on severa
different species at each trophic
level. This is a food web.

26. Arctic Food Web
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_krembsdeming.html

27. Rangeland Prairie Food Web

28. Works Cited
 “Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse with Palm, Online Image,
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030530.html,
Dennis Mammana, Skyscapes
 Grizzly Bear Eating Salmon – Mineral Management courtesy
of GeekPhilosopher.com
http://geekphilosopher.com/bkg/anGrizzlyBearFish.htm
 Dead Armadillo – National Biological Information
Infrastructure, images.nbii.gov/guyra.php
 Artic Food Web – National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_krembsdeming.htm
 Scavenger Condors – US Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific
Region.
http://www.fws.gov/hoppermountain/cacondor/condorprehistory.
htmll

29. Works Cited
 Dung Beetle – Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dung_beetle
 Rangeland Soil Food Web – National Science & Technology Center
http://www.blm.gov/nstc/soil/foodweb/
 Ofelia the cow –Bush Crawford Ranch– courtesy of GeekPhilosopher.com
http://geekphilosopher.com/bkg/cowOfeliaCrawford.htm
 Sunset over Africa – US Fish and Wildlife photo courtesy of
GeekPhlosopher.com
http://geekphilosopher.com/bkg/skySunsetAfrica.htm
 Sun Through Trees – USDA photo courtesy of Geek Philosopher.com
http://geekphilosopher.com/bkg/skySunriseTrees.htm
 Biology Curriculum Writing Team, Plano Independent School District