2. Big Ideas...
• Energy begins with the sun
• Plants absorb sunlight to make sugars
• The energy travels up our ecosystem
through the different energy levels
• Producers- Consumers - Decomposers
• There are different types of consumers
• Food Chains show the flow of energy
• Energy is transferred as you move up the
food chain
3. Trophic Levels
Trophic levels refer to the position of an organism
in a food chain – this position can change
depending on what an organism is eating
The Trophic Levels
• Producer
• Primary Consumer
• Secondary Consumer
• Tertiary Consumer
• Quaternary Consumer
• Decomposer
4. Producers
Producers are plants (typically) that have the ability to
capture the energy from the sun and convert it into
energy in the usable form of sugar using photosynthesis
5. Primary Consumers
Organisms that eat plants are called primary
consumers because they are first in the food chain.
7. Tertiary Consumers
Organisms that eat secondary consumers are called
tertiary consumers because they are third in the
food chain. (Tertiary means three)
8. Quaternary Consumers
Organisms that eat tertiary consumers are called
quaternary consumers because they are fourth in
the food chain. (Quaternary means four)
9. Decomposers
Organisms that break down dead organisms that
get recycled back into the Earth as nutrients that
the producers are able to use for continued growth.
14. Scavengers
Organisms that eat dead animals, usually the remains of a kill left
over from another organism.
Vultures are an example of scavengers
15. Flow of Energy
In a food chain we use arrows to show where the
energy is flowing.
Energy
16. Food Chains
A food chain is how we follow the flow of energy
through an ecosystem with only one organism at
each level.
17. Energy Levels
• At each level of the food chain, each organism uses up
some of the energy before it gets passed on to another
organism
• Roughly 90% of the energy is transferred at each level,
leaving only 10% of the energy as we move up the food
chain
• This is why ecosystems can only support 3 or 4 levels of
consumers because anything above that is receiving an
insufficient amount of energy
• This is why it’s important to eat your fruits and
vegetables, primary consumers get the most energy out
of what they are eating!
18. Summary...
• Energy begins with the sun
• Plants absorb sunlight to make sugars
• The energy travels up our ecosystem
through the different energy levels
• Producers - Consumers - Decomposers
• There are different types of consumers
• Food Chains show the flow of energy
• Energy is transferred as you move up the
food chain
19. References
• Background Web Picture • Picture of Mushroom • Picture of Snake
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain
– Image: Source – Image: Source – Image: Source
• Picture of Sunset • Picture of Grasshopper • Picture of Hawk
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain
– Author: Public Domain
– Image: Source – Image: Source
– Image: Source
• Picture of Flowers • Picture of African Lion
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain • Picture of Vulture
– Image: Source – Image: Source – Author: Public Domain
• Picture of Whitetail Buck • Picture of People Eating – Image: Source
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain
– Image: Source – Image: Source – Resources
• Picture of Wolf • Picture of Grass – Trophic Levels
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain – Qld science teachers
– Image: Source – Image: Source – Geography4Kids
• Picture of Black Bear • Picture of Grasshopper 2
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain – Images
– Image: Source – Image: Source – Public Domain Images
• Picture of Kid Hunting • Picture of Mouse
– Author: Public Domain – Author: Public Domain
– Image: Source – Image: Source
