food chains and relationships
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Almost all organisms ultimately get their
energy from the sun.
• Each organism has a specific niche (job) within the ecosystem.
Organism that usessunlight to create food
Photosynthesis.Ex. – Green plants or algae
Organisms that cannot make their own food.
Consumers get their energy by eating other organisms.
Types of Consumers:
1.Herbivores – “ Plant eaters” Ex. - rabbits, cows,
horses
2.Carnivores – “Meat eaters” – feed on animals.
Ex. Hawks, Lions, Raptors
A.Predator – Hunts and kills other animals (prey).
Ex. HawkB.Scavenger – Feed on dead
animals. Ex. Vultures, crows, flies
3. Omnivores – Eat both plants and animals.
Ex. bears, coyotes, humans
4. Decomposers – Feed on animal wastes and bodies of dead organisms - Recycle nutrients.
Ex. Fungi, bacteria
Types of Consumers:
Types of Consumers:
5. Parasites - feed on living organisms. The organism eaten is called the host.
Ex. Fleas, mosquitos, ticks tapeworms
Diagram showing the flow of energy from producer
to consumer.
Food Chain Order:
1 . Always begins with a producer.
Ex. – grass
2. Primary consumer (first-order)-
always an herbivore or omnivore.
Ex. – grasshopper
Food Chain Order: 3. Secondary Consumer (second
order) - begins with a carnivore or omnivore.
4. Tertiary Consumer (third-order) – Carnivore or omnivore
Decomposers may be at any step
Multiple food chains connected together.
The more chains the more stable the ecosystem.
Critical Thinking
A bumper sticker asks,
“Have you thanked a
green plant today?”
Give two reasons for appreciating a green plant.
The End!