Plant Science Lessons

1
Plant Science Lessons

• Unit 1, Lesson 2
• Understanding the Plant Kingdom

2
Student Learning Objectives

• As a result of this lesson, the student will
• Objective 1 Distinguish between producers and
  consumers in energy production and
• understand the importance of each in the food
  chain.
• Objective 2 Describe how producers and
  consumers are related on the food chain.
• Objective 3 Determine the importance of
  agricultural plants in the food chain.

3
What is an autotroph?

• Autotrophs are organisms that utilize energy from
  the sun or energy stored in chemical compounds to
  manufacture their own nutrients. The most
  familiar autotrophs are plants however there are
  other unicellular organisms that make their own
  nutrients. Most other organisms depend on
  autotrophs, at least partially, for their
  nutrients and energy. The origin of the word
  autotroph comes from the Greek words auto,
  meaning self and trophe, meaning nourishment.

4
Trivia for the day what do deer, bison, owls and
humans all have in common?

• They are all considered to be heterotrophs! This
  is also our second vocabulary word. The origin of
  the word comes from the Greek words hetero,
  meaning other and trophe meaning nourishment.
  This makes sense! Heterotrophs are incapable of
  making their own energy and depend on others to
  supply it. Heterotrophs obtain nutrients by
  eating other organisms.

5
Three types of autotrophs

• They are herbivores, omnivores, and
• Herbivores are grazing, seed-eating and
  algae-eating animals that depend only on plants
  for food.
• Heterotrophs that eat other heterotrophs such as
  lions are called carnivores
• Omnivorew which are heterotrophs that eat both
  plants and animals. You are a perfect example of
  an omnivore!

6
The Food Chain

• How do each of these organisms relate to each
  other in a food chain?
• Food chains are simple models that scientists use
  to show how matter and energy move through an
  ecosystem. Nutrients and energy proceed from
  autotrophs to heterotrophs and eventually to
  decomposers, who break down dead and decaying
  plants and animals into simpler molecules to be
  used by other organisms.
• What are the levels of a food chain? These
  levels are called trophic levels. You can think
  of them of steps on the food pyramid.

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Energy Use in the Food Chain
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So, how important is the Plant Kingdom?

• Is the plant kingdom really that important?
• Remember every other organism above it on the
  food chain thinks it is essential!
• Great job today!!