FOOD CHAINS, WEBS & PYRAMIDS

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If you are what you eat, what are you?

producer

detritivore

omnivore

carnivore

herbivore

consumer

decomposer

autotrophheterotroph

PRODUCERSWhat are producers?

sunlight producer

Ex. Plants, algae and some bacteria

CONSUMERS

What are consumers?

sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

Examples: deer, rabbits, cows, mice, lions, humans, hawks, snakes

Where do allthe dead things go?

DECOMPOSERSWhat are decomposers?Examples: bacteria, fungi, insects

sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

consumer 3

decomposer

HERBIVORES

What are herbivores?

Ex. Cows, caterpillars, rabbits

sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

CARNIVORES

What are carnivores?

Ex. tigers, wolves, snakes, hawks

sunlight producer consumer 1 consumer 2

OMNIVORES

What are omnivores?Ex. bears and humans

Food Chains & Food Webs

Organisms in ecosystems transfer energy from organism to organism in feeding relationships called trophic levels.

Food Chain Example:

Algae Krill Cod Leopard Killer

Seal Whaleproducer primary

consumerquaternary consumer

tertiary consumer

secondary consumer

-------- herbivore carnivorecarnivorecarnivore

Food Chains & Food Webs

What would happen in this food chain if all the cod were to die?

What would happen to krill if all algae were to die?

Which is more stable, a food chain or a food web? Why?

Ecological Pyramids

Instead of representing trophic levels in a food web, an ecological pyramid can be used.

Algae

Krill

Cod

Leopard Seal

Killer Whale

Ecological Pyramids

Ecological Pyramids

1st Trophic Level

2nd Trophic Level

3rd TL

4th TL

5th TL

Algae

Krill

Cod

Leopard Seal

Killer Whale

Ecological Pyramids

Producer

Primary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Tertiary Consumer

Quaternary Consumer

Algae

Krill

Cod

Leopard Seal

Killer Whale

Pyramid of Energy What happens to the energy as

you go up?

How much energy is lost between levels?

Why?

How much energy is retained?

Pyramid of Biomass

• What does this pyramid of biomass illustrate?

• What is biomass?

Pyramid of Numbers

What does this pyramid of numbers illustrate?

Ecological Pyramids

What happens to the biomass, numbers,and energy from trophic level to trophic level?

Ecological Pyramids What is different about this

pyramid?

Pyramids of Aquatic Ecosystems

Numbers

Biomass

Energy

Pyramids of Temperate Forests

Numbers

Biomass

Energy