Flow of Matter and Flow of Matter and EnergyEnergy
A food chain is a linear representation of who eats who in an ecosystem.
Producers (plants, algae)
Primary Consumer (herbivores)
Secondary Consumer (carnivores or omnivores)
Tertiary Consumer
Quaternary Consumer
If you die before being incorporated into the food chain...
Detritus Feeders
Scavengers
Decomposers
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Food Webs
Food webs show the interactions between many food chains
Photosynthesis
Cell Respiration
Trophic Pyramid
Quaternary Consumers10 kcal
Tertiary Consumers100 kcal
Secondary Consumers1000 kcal
Primary Consumers10,000 kcal
Producers100,000 kcal
Trophic PyramidAs you move up a As you move up a trophic pyramidtrophic pyramid
Energy decreasesEnergy decreases Number of Number of
individuals individuals decreasesdecreases
Biomass decreases Biomass decreases (# individuals (# individuals times their weight)times their weight)
Trophic Pyramids and Feeding a Starving Nation
Human Primary Consumers10,000 kcal
Producers100,000 kcal
Human Secondary Consumer1000 kcal
Cow Primary Consumer10,000 kcal
Producers100,000 kcal
Bioaccumulation
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