TROPHIC LEVELS IN ECOSYSTEMS

Capturing and Releasing Energy

• Everything that you do requires energy!

• Most of the energy you use came primarily from THE SUN.

• Since we use so much energy on a daily basis, you must be

constantly renewing it in

order to live.

The Producers (aka Autotrophs)• A producer is an organism that captures

and stores energy from the sun as chemical energy.

• It is later converted to GLUCOSE which can be used for many processes.

• Energy is absorbed into producers via photosynthesis.

• Common Producer:– PLANTS

The Consumers (aka Hetrotrophs)

• Consumers are organisms that must get their food and energy by eating other organisms.

• Primary consumers are the first link in a chain who primarily eat producers.

• Secondary consumers are the next link and eat the primary consumers.

• Tertiary consumers are the final link and eat the secondary consumers.

The Decomposers

• Decomposers are organisms that break down dead plant and animal matter into simple compounds.

• They are basically the “clean up crew” of an ecosystem.

• Common decomposers:– Fungi– Worms

Food Chains• A food chain shows the relationship between a

producer and a single chain of consumers in an ecosystem.

• ExampleBermuda Grass

Grasshopper

Snake

Hawk

Food Webs

• A food web shows the feeding relationships between many producers and consumers in an ecosystem.

• Gives a better visualization of how energy is passed from organism to organism in a ecosystem.

Energy Pyramids

• Energy pyramids shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level of an ecosystem.

• Bottom are the Producers

• Top are the Tertiary

Consumers