Energy flow in the Ecosystem

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Energy flow in the Ecosystem
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Energy

• 1st law of thermodynamics energy can not be
  created or destroyed, only transformed from one
  form to another.

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Life depends on

• The SUN!!!
• (In Deep areas of the ocean special bacteria
  live, the sun never reaches this area!!)

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What eats what?
Producer makes own food (photosynthesis)

• Consumers eat other organisms
• 1) Herbivores eat plant material only
• 2) Carnivores eat
• other animals only
• 3) Omnivores eat
• both plants animals
• Decomposers break
• down dead decaying
• things

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How do we get energy from what we eat?

• Cell Respiration
• O2 C6H12O6 ? CO2 H2O energy
• We breathe oxygen, we eat sugars (glucose) we
  make carbon dioxide, water energy!

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How do plants make their own food?

• PHOTOSYNTHESIS!!
• CO2 H2O light ? O2 C6H12O6
• Plants take in carbon dioxide, water and light
  and produce oxygen glucose (sugars)

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So how does the energy get around the ecosystem

• Food chain linear sequence of feeding
  relationships.
• Grass ? grasshopper? mouse ? hawk

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Food chain
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• 2) Food web diagram showing ALL feeding
  relationships within an ecosystem

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Food web
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Energy Flows

• through the food chain or food web in an
  ecosystem.
• How much energy is available?

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Trophic Levels

• Each step in the transfer of energy through the
  ecosystem

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Energy available at each level
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Energy loss

• Energy is lost as heat at each level.
• RULE OF 10 Each level only has about 10 of the
  available energy from the lower level.

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Why are there fewer organism at the top of the
trophic pyramid?

• Not enough energy available to support a large
  population of tertiary or quaternary consumers.
• Very few ecosystems have a 4th or 5th level!

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• Identify three abiotic factors that might exist
  in any ecosystem.
• Identify three biotic factors that might exist in
  any ecosystem.
• Explain the difference between population and
  species.

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• What is the difference between a food chain and a
  food web?
• Diagram a four-level pyramid illustrating a food
  chain that might exist in Georgia. Differentiate
  between and label the trophic levels and the
  producer(s) and primary, secondary and tertiary
  consumers. What percent biomass would be
  available to each trophic level?