How does energy flow between organisms in an ecosystem?

Chapter 4: Lesson 2:

LIFE PROCESSES

Looking at living things

Living things

Although all living things look different from each other, they all have seven things in common.

These seven things are called life processes.

Something is only alive if it does all seven processes.

THE SEVEN LIFE PROCESSES

1All living things move

Animals move their whole bodies to get from one place to another.

Plants turn towards the light and their roots grow down into the soil.

2All living things reproduce

Animals have babies.

New plants grow from seeds.

3All living things are sensitive

All living things respond to changes. Living things notice changes in their surroundings and react to them.

Ex. Plants grow towards the light.

Ex. People react to the temperature around them.

4All living things need nutrition

Food is used to provide energy.

Green plants make their own food using sunlight.

Animals eat plants or other animals.

5All living things excrete

Waste substances must be removed from the body.

Plants and animals both need to get rid of waste gas and water.

6All living things respire

Plants and animals use the oxygen in the air to turn food into energy.

7All living things grow

Babies grow into adults.

Seedlings grow into plants.

The seven life processes

1 Move2 Reproduce3 Sensitive4 Nutrition5 Excrete6 Respire7 Grow

Use the first letter from each process to help you remember them.

Move Reproduce Sensitive NutritionExcrete Respire Grow

They spell MRS NERG

This is MRS NERG !

Can you remember what each of the letters in her name stand for ?

OrganismIs one living thing

All organisms need:

Energy(Power)

Organisms get energy from food.

Types of organisms

Producers Consumers

Decomposers

Make their own food.

1) Producers

Example:Plants

Roots: takes water and nutrients

from the soil.

Leaves: takes

sunlight, air, water and nutrients

and makes the plants

food (photosynthesi

s).

Stem: takes water and nutrients from the roots and sends it to the leaves.

Flower

Photosynthesis process

Substances that plants and animals need to grow and

stay healthy.

Eat plants, animals or both.

2) Consumers

Herbivores

Types of Consumers

Carnivores

Omnivores

Animals do not make their own

food.Some animals eats plants:Example:

Panda eats bamboo Caterpillar eats leavesThey are called

herbivores

Some animals eats other animalsExample:

Puffin eats fish Owls eats rat

They are called carnivores

Some animals eats both plants and animals.

Example:

Bears eat both

They are called Omnivores

Is an organism that breaks down dead plants and animals

3) Decomposers

Example:Worms, bacteria and

fungi

Living things need one another to survive.

The above drawing shows a food chain.

A FOOD CHAIN:

Shows the flow of energy from one organism to

another.

Examples of food chains:

A FOOD WEB is:

Made up of many food chains connected .

In a food chain there are

Preys PredatorsandAnimals

that are eaten

Animals that eat the

prey

What is competition?

When animals compete (struggle) with other animals

for their food, water and shelter to survive.

Energy pyramid

It shows the amount of energy in an ecosystem. Producers are always at the bottom of the pyramid. The next level of the pyramid shows herbivore. It

must eat a lot to stay alive because small amount ( 10% ) of a plant’s energy passes to the herbivore.

Omnivore and carnivore takes the next levels of the pyramid. They take small amount

10% ) of the herbivore’s energy to pass. The pyramid also shows how many plants or animals

in each level. This tells how many plants or animals are needed to feed the animal at each level of the pyramid.