1. Food Chains

2. The sun is the source of energy for most ecosystems!

3. Plants use the sun to make their food using photosynthesis.

4. Plants are called producers because they can make or produce their own food ! This is the PRODUCE section of a food store. Look at what is in the produce section… plants like fruits and vegetables! http://www.flickr.com/photos/young-in-panama/119624721/

5. Some animals eat plants .

6. Animals that eat only plants are called herb ivores. Herbs are plants that we use for cooking. Herb ivores eat plants so think of them as eating herbs (plants)! http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ingredients-herbs/tips-three-ways-to-preserve-fresh-herbs-088889 Those herbs look yummy!!

7. Some organisms eat only animals! These are called carnivores .

8. Omnivores eat plants and animals. plants animals

10. We can make a food chain to show the flow of energy through the organisms! Grass -> Zebra -> Lion

11. Here ’ s how we label the organisms in our food chain. Grass -> Zebra -> Lion Producer 1st Consumer 2 nd Consumer P C 1 C 2 A simple way to label!

16. After a while organisms die. Then the decomposers get busy! Fungi like mold and mushrooms and bacteria break down dead organisms and rot them away!! They are decomposers . http://oreneta.com/kalebeul/2007/04/28/escapee-carcass-in-field-with-not-a-bureaucrat-in-sight/ http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/Mold.htm http://polaris.umuc.edu/~meaton/edtc620/hyperlinks/decomposition.html

17. Decomposers break down dead stuff and return nutrients to the soil. Fungi Bacteria http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/10834/enlarge