As one organism feeds off of As one organism feeds off of another, the another, the within the organism being within the organism being fed upon is being fed upon is being transferred to transferred to the the feeder.feeder.

FOOD CHAINFOOD CHAIN

energyenergy

LEVELS WITHIN A FOOD LEVELS WITHIN A FOOD CHAINCHAIN

PRODUCERSPRODUCERS

FIRST ORDER FIRST ORDER CONSUMERSCONSUMERS

SECOND ORDER SECOND ORDER CONSUMERSCONSUMERS

PRODUCER - autotroph

Gross Primary Productivity Rate at which the producersproducers in the ecosystem capture energy & make sugar

Basically, this means how much Basically, this means how much photosynthesis is going on….photosynthesis is going on….

(Dayton)

CONSUMER - heterotroph

TYPES:

HERBIVORE - eat producers

TYPES:

Carnivore- eat other consumers- eat other consumers

TYPES:

Omnivore- eat consumers & producers

TYPES:

DETRIVOREDETRIVORE consumer that feeds on the recently dead

TYPES:

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TYPES:DECOMPOSERDECOMPOSER

consumer puts nutrients back into the soil

ENERGY TRANSFERENERGY TRANSFER

BUT a LARGE fraction BUT a LARGE fraction of the energy is of the energy is

lostlost

energy is energy is transferred from one transferred from one organism to another organism to another in a food chainin a food chain

It is LOST as It is LOST as HEAT!!!HEAT!!!

So then, how does the energy move through an ecosystem?

So then, how does the energy move through an ecosystem?

Pyramid of Energy (kilocalories)

So then, how does the energy move through an ecosystem?

Pyramid of Energy (kilocalories)

100%producers

So then, how does the energy move through an ecosystem?

Pyramid of Energy (kilocalories)

10%1st order consumers

So then, how does the energy move through an ecosystem?

Pyramid of Energy (kilocalories)

1%2nd order consumers

PyramidPyramid ofof EnergyEnergy90% decrease at each trophic level10% useable energy

WHERE DID THE ENERGY GO??

It is LOST as It is LOST as HEAT!!!HEAT!!!

Pyramid numbers (how much prey @ each level)

So then, how do the numbers of organisms in an ecosystem relate to the levels?

So then, how do the numbers of organisms in an ecosystem relate to the levels?

Pyramid numbers (how much prey)

1,500,000

So then, how do the numbers of organisms in an ecosystem relate to the levels?

Pyramid numbers (how much prey)

200,000

So then, how do the numbers of organisms in an ecosystem relate to the levels?

Pyramid numbers (how much prey)

90,000

So then, how do the numbers of organisms in an ecosystem relate to the levels?

Pyramid numbers (how much prey)

2

PyramidPyramid ofof NumbersNumbers

Illustrates total # of organisms at each

trophic level

PyramidPyramid ofof NumbersNumbers

This does NOT take into account the SIZE of the

organism

So then, how does the amount living stuff (dry mass) - potential food, move through an

ecosystem?

Pyramid biomass (grams / m2)

Pyramid biomass (grams / m2)

FOOD chain

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FOOD WEB

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FOOD WEB

Energy moves through the arrows!

The food web is a simplified way of understanding the process by which organisms

in higher trophic levels gain energy by consuming organisms at lower trophic levels.

Energy moves through the arrows!