Department of Mathematics and Science

Mary Tweedy, Curriculum Support SpecialistKeisha Kidd, Curriculum Support Specialist

Dr. Millard Lightburn, District Science Supervisor

Big Idea 17: Interdependence:Needs of Organisms

Department of Mathematics and Science

• SC.4.L.17.3 - Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers. AA

• SC.4.L.17.2 - Explain that animals, including humans, cannot make their own food and that when animals eat plants or other animals, the energy stored in the food source is passed to them. Assessed as SC.4.L.17.3

• SC.3.L.17.2 - Recognize that plants use energy from the Sun, air, and water to make their own food. Assessed as SC.4.L.17.3

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Big Idea 17: InterdependenceBenchmarks

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What do all organisms need to survive?

Florida Everglades

Organisms need a source of energy to survive.The sun, plants, and animals are all sources of energy for organisms.

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How is energy passed from one living thing to another?

A food chain is the path by which energypasses from one living thing to another.

How do plants get their energy?

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How do plants get their food?

• Plants make their own food in their leaves using four ingredients:

1. carbon dioxide (CO20) 2. water (H20) 3. chlorophyll from the leaves 4. light from the sun The chlorophyll in the leaves captures the

sunlight’s energy and along with the water and carbon dioxide plants produce a food called sugar

and release oxygen. Why would a plant die without leaves?

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Draw an illustration with captions to explain how plants make their own food through Photosynthesis.

Vocabulary to include:carbon dioxide (CO₂) chlorophyll leaves oxygen sunlight sugarwater (H₂O)

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Why are plants called Producers?• Plants make their own food through the process

of Photosynthesis. • What 4 ingredients do plants use to make their

own food?• What do plants produce?• What do plants release?

2.

1.

3. Sunlight

4.

5.

6.

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Who are the Consumers?• Consumers cannot make their own food. • They eat other organisms to get energy. • There are three types of consumers: herbivores,

carnivores, and omnivores.

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Consumers• Herbivores eat plants. The prefix “herbi-” means

green grass plants. Rabbits and deer are examples of herbivores.

• Carnivores eat meat. The prefix “carni-” comes from the Spanish word “carne,” which means meat. Alligators, wolves, cougars, and sharks are examples of carnivores.

• Omnivores eat both plants and animals. The prefix “omni-” means “all.” People, raccoons

and bears that eat meat, fish, and vegetables are examples of omnivores.

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Who are the Decomposers?

• They are organisms that feed on waste and remains of dead organisms.

• Decomposers get energy by breaking down the remains of producers and consumers into nutrients.

• Earthworms, bacteria, and fungi (such as mushrooms) are examples of decomposers.

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1.What would happen to the hawk population if there were no snakes?

2.What would happen to the mouse population if there were no snakes?

All together producers, consumers, and decomposers form an interdependence.

Food chains can help us to understand how animals depend on plants and sometimes on other animals.

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Using all of the pictures and/or names below, draw and label a possible food chain

How are plants and animals interdependent?

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Create a Food Chain Using Organisms Common to Florida

Be ready to• name the organisms in your food chain• explain each organism’s role• explain how energy is transferred from the Sun through your food chain

Materials: small paper plate

yarn tape scissors Florida animal and plant pictures

crayons, markers

What’s My Role?apple snail deer anole grass

raccoon alligator egret snake swamp lily hawk panther shrimp

mosquito fish blue heron marsh rabbit earthwormkite shrimp fungus algae

raccoon grasshopper bream eagle

Producers ConsumersLabel the consumers:

H for herbivores, C for carnivores,O for omnivores.

Decomposers

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Food Chain AssessmentRead the following scenario and complete A & B

Huckleberry bushes grow in sunny patches in the forest. Birds eat the berries. Coyotes eat the berries, too. Sometimes coyotes also eat the birds.

A. Identify each living thing in this food chain as a consumer, or producer.

B. For the living things you identified as consumers in part A, identify whether they are herbivores,

carnivores, or omnivores. Explain how you made your choices.

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What is interdependence?

The way all living things depend on each other. No plant or animal lives alone. Each depends in some way upon other plants and/or animals for energy in order to live, grow, and reproduce.

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Concept Review: Parts of a Food Chain

1. What sources of energy do all organisms need? Answer: Organisms need a source of energy to survive. The sun, plants, and animals are all sources of energy for organisms.2. Which organisms are producers and which are consumers in a food chain? Answer: Plants are producers that make their own food for energy. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are consumers that eat other organisms as food.

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3. How do plants get energy?

Answer: Plants get energy from the food they make. Plants use sunlight, water, and air to make food to live and grow. Some plants are carnivorous and also get energy by eating other organisms.

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4. How do animals get energy? How is this different for herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores?

Answer: Animals get energy from other organisms. Herbivores get energy by eating plants. Carnivores get energy by eating other animals. Omnivores get energy by eating both plants and animals

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FCAT Review

1. The Sun is the original source of energy for most living things. Which organisms on Earth can convert this solar energy directly into food?

A. HumansB. AnimalsC. InsectsD. plants

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FCAT Review

2. The cheetah is the fastest land animal on Earth. Able to reach speeds of up to 65 miles per hour, the cheetah uses its speed to catch its prey, mostly mammals. The cheetah's prey is the best source of which of the following?

A. OxygenB. WaterC. carbon dioxideD. energy

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FCAT Review3. Plants make up most of the Earth's biomass,

or organic material. What would happen to consumers if there were no more plants?

A. They would use photosynthesis to make their own food.

B. They would die because they would have no source of energy.

C. They would get their energy from other sources, like oxygen.

D. They would eventually adapt to only eating other consumers.

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Next time you sit down for a meal…

• Think about where your food is coming from.• Are you eating producers, consumers, or

both?• What kinds of things did the consumers you

are eating eat?

Department of Mathematics and Science

Interdependence Resources

Internet Resources:

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/photosynthesis.html• http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/plants/photosynthesis.htm• http://www.teachersdomain.org/browse/?fq_hierarchy=k12.sci.life.stru.photosynth• http://www.newtonsapple.tv/video.php?id=915• http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/ecosystems/food-chains.htm• http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_main.html• http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/gamesforkids.htm• http://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/23ced697-06b9-4ffe-8cb8-bb02224e5f1f