Feeding Relationships

Unit 1-2 NotesMr. Hefti – Pulaski Biology

Special Instructions

• Please copy the notes from the boxes on the left hand side of the following slides.

• Do not worry about recording FYI facts underneath the pictures on the right-hand side!

Producer: makes its own food during photosynthesis (autotroph)

Examples

1. Strawberries

2. Maple tree

3. Water lily

4. Algae

5. Clover

Sunflowers make their own food out of CO2, H20, and sunlight. The food they make is called glucose. Where in the cell does this process take place?

Chloroplast

Herbivore: eats producers only

(primary consumer – a special type of heterotroph)

Examples

1. Giraffes

2. Panda bears

3. Honeybees

4. Deer

5. Cows

The Himalayan rabbit has darker fur where its body temperatures are the coolest. Biologists have tested this phenomenon by strapping ice packs to their backs. Guess what color the fur changes to?

Black

Carnivore: only eats other consumers

(meat eater – another special type of heterotroph)

Examples

1. Lion

2. Eagle

3. Wolf

4. Salmon

5. Dragonfly

The cheetah can reach speeds of 58 mph while chasing prey. Hoofed mammals make up most of the cheetah’s diet. They stalk their prey to within 33 ft and then burst into a sprint to close the gap. What percentage of chases result in a successful kill for these animals?

50%

Omnivore: eats both plants and animals

Examples

1. Opossum

2. Fox

3. Crow

4. Goldfish

5. Rat

There are many different species of bears… grizzly bears, brown bears, black bears, sun bears, spectacled bears, polar bears, and more. Which bear is most widespread throughout North America?

Black bears

Scavenger: feeds on the dead remains of plants and animals that it did not kill

Examples

1. Hermit crab

2. Sea gull

3. Remora fish

4. Wolverine

5. Catfish

The Tasmanian devil enjoys a nice meal of grubs, eggs, or rodents, but more than anything, it seems to relish a nice animal corpse. With bone-crushing jaws, the devil may consume every bit of a carcass but the toughest and least palatable teeth.

What group of pouched mammals does this animal belong to?

Marsupials

Decomposer: breaks down the dead or decaying remains of other organisms returning their nutrients to the ecosystem

Examples

1. Toad stools

2. Soil bacteria

3. Athlete’s foot (yeast)

4. Earthworms

5. Mold

Fungi like mushrooms, mildew, mold and toadstools are not plants. They don't have chlorophyll so they can't make their own food. Fungi release enzymes that decompose dead plants and animals allowing them to absorb nutrients and return them to the ecosystem.

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