Download - Intro notes ecology
Warm up for today:
• Read about autotrophs and heterotrophs on pages 41 & 42. Complete the “Concept Map” from the board.
Ecology
Flow of Energy
• Sunlight is the main source of energy for all life on earth.
• Producers
–either make their own food from the sun or chemicals (mostly from the sun).
–Autotrophs & Chemotrophs
Consumers
• Heterotrophs: Organisms that rely on other organisms for food and energy
–Herbivores: eat plants
–Carnivores: eat other animals
–Omnivores: both plants and animals
Consumers
–Detritivores: feed on animal remains and other dead matter
–Decomposers: break down organic matter
Feeding
Relationships
• Food chains
–Show the one way flow of energy in an ecosystem
• Food Webs
–Describes all of the possible feeding relationships in an ecosystem
Trophic Levels
• Each step in the food chain or food web is called a trophic level.
• Ecological pyramid
–Shows the relative energy movement through the environment.
–Only 10% is available to move onto the next level
Principles of Ecology
Ecological Pyramids
A diagram that can show the relative
amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of
organisms at each trophic level in an
organism
2.2 Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem
Chapter 2