I. Individual organism

II. PopulationIII.CommunityIV.EcosystemV.BiomeVI.Biosphere

Ecological Hierarchy

II. Population: same species living in an area• Species = group of similar organisms that can

interbreed• Example: all the Giant pandas in a forest

III. Community: group of different populations living in same area

• Example: All the different plants & animals in a forest with the panda • Ecosystem: all the living and nonliving factors that make up an area

Ecological Hierarchy

V. Biome: Ecosystems with similar climates and communities

– Examples: forest, desert, grassland, ocean, etc.

VI. Biosphere: all ecosystems on earth

Ecological Hierarchy

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

❧ Ultimate source of energy = sun

❧ Plants, algae, & some bacteria capture solar energy - perform photosynthesis

❧ Organelle that performs photosynthesis = chloroplast (pigment inside = chlorophyll)

Photosynthesis

• Performed by producers = an organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis*– Aka autotrophs

From producers to ….

• Consumer = an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms– Aka heterotroph

• Producers & Consumers convert sugar into usable energy through cellular respiration– Organelle that performs cellular

respiration = mitochondria

Consumers can be categorized by…

❧What is eats:❧ Herbivore: eats producers❧ Carnivore: eats other consumers❧ Omnivore: eats producers &

consumers ❧ Scavenger: eats dead large

animals❧ Decomposer: breaks down dead

producers & consumers (bacteria & fungi)

Consumers are Categorized by Trophic Level

❧ In a food chain/ web, each step is called a trophic level

❧Producers = 1st trophic level

❧Herbivores = primary consumers = 2nd trophic level

❧Carnivores & Omnivores = secondary consumers – 3rd trophic level

❧And so forth…

Trophic Level Energy Loss

❧Energy flows through environment (sun → organisms → space)

❧Energy is lost as it flows (according to 2nd Law of Thermodynamics)

❧At each trophic level:❧ 90% of energy from food is used for life functions

(ex: movement, growth, reproduction, homeostasis)❧ Some energy is lost as heat❧ Remaining 10% energy becomes part of

organism’s body & is available to next trophic level

Energy Pyramids❧ Each layer of pyramid

represents a trophic level

❧ Only 10% of energy makes it to next level

❧ B/c so much energy is lost at each level, there are fewer organisms as go up

❧ Loss of energy limits the # of tropic levels in ecosystems❧ Usually have less

than 5Example: a single lion needs ~250 km2 of land to hunt

Fill-in pyramid

level titles into your

notes!

Ecosystem Pyramid

• Choose an organism and illustrate a pyramid about the organism

• Include biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community, population, and species.

• Provide a definition/description of each level

• See example for assistance