ECOLOGY

Food Chains, Food Webs &

Energy Transfer

Lesson Outline
Food Chains Food Webs Energy Transfer Carbon Cycle

Food chains
A food chain shows the feeding relationship among a series of organisms through which energy is transferred in the form of food. It always starts with a primary producer and ends with a consumer. Each level or step in a food chain is called a trophic level.

Food chains
1. Plants are the primary producers use light energy from the sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water

Food chains
2. Animals are the consumers Herbivores (primary consumers) Carnivores that eat herbivores (secondary consumers) Carnivores that eat other carnivores (tertiary consumers) Omnivores eat both plants & animals Scavengers feed on dead animals e.g. vultures

Food chains
3. Decomposers breakdown dead organisms releases mineral salts back into the food chain for plants as nutrients Bacteria, fungi

Food Chain Trophic Level

Each step/level in a food chain or food web is known as a trophic level. Sequential from producer to primary consumer to secondary consumer to tertiary consumer.

Food Chain
Producer

Primary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Tertiary Consumer

green plant

grasshopper

spider

bird

Trophic level 1

Trophic level 2

Trophic level 3

Trophic level 4

Food webs
Most animals eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food and energy requirements. A food web is several food chains connected together.

Food webs
Lets build a food web from this food chain.

green plant

grasshopper

spider

bird

Food Web

caterpillar

green plant

grasshopper

spider

bird

aphid

Food Web

caterpillar

green plant

grasshopper

spider

bird

aphid

Food Web

caterpillar

green plant

grasshopper

spider

bird

aphid

ladybird

Food Web

caterpillar

green plant

grasshopper

spider

bird

aphid

ladybird

Food web

Food Web-sites
Food chain BrainPOP video http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngex plorer/0309/quickflicks/index.html Food chain crossword puzzle http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchainspuzzle.htm

Energy flow

1. In any ecosystem, the ultimate source of energy is the sun.

1

Sun (light energy)

Energy flow
2. Light energy absorbed by chlorophyll in producers is converted into chemical energy during photosynthesis.

Producers (Green plants)

2 1

photosynthesis Sun (light energy)

Energy flow
3. Energy in the producers is passed from one trophic level to another by feeding.
Secondary consumers (carnivores)

feeding (holozoic nutrition)

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

feeding

Producers (Green plants)

2 1

photosynthesis Sun (light energy)

Energy flow
4. The flow of energy (carnivores) through the ecosystem 3 feeding is non-cyclic. Energy is lost as heat Primary consumers (Herbivores) to the environment. This energy does not 3 feeding return to the organisms Producers (Green plants) that released it. Hence, it cannot be photosynthesis 2 recycled in the Sun (light ecosystem. 1 energy)
Secondary consumers

heat lost to environment

respiration

respiration

4
respiration

Energy flow
5
excretion egestion Secondary consumers (carnivores)

respiration

3
5
excretion egestion

feeding

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

respiration

feeding

5. Energy is also lost

Producers (Green plants)

respiration

through faeces, excretory2 waste and dead organisms.

1

photosynthesis Sun (light energy)

Energy flow
5
excretion egestion Secondary consumers (carnivores)

respiration

3
5
excretion egestion faeces and excretory products + dead bodies of organisms

feeding

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

respiration

feeding (holozoic nutrition) respiration

Decomposers break down dead4

decomposition

organic matter and use some of this trapped energy for photosynthesis 2 chemical their own needs. Sun (light
1
energy)

Producers (Green plants)

Energy flow
5
excretion egestion Secondary consumers (carnivores)

respiration

3
5
excretion egestion faeces and excretory products + dead bodies of organisms

feeding

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

respiration

feeding

decomposition

Some heat is Producers also lost the (Green to plants) environment during photosynthesis decomposition. 2
1
Sun (light energy)

4
respiration

heat released to environment

Energy flow
5
excretion egestion Secondary consumers (carnivores)

respiration

3
5
excretion egestion faeces and excretory products + dead bodies of organisms

feeding

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

respiration

feeding

4
Producers (Green plants) respiration

decomposition

2
heat released to environment

photosynthesis

+ CO2

Sun (light energy)

Energy flow
5
excretion egestion Secondary consumers (carnivores)

respiration

energy lost in uneaten body parts, faeces and excretory products (usable energy)

feeding

heat lost to environment

excretion egestion

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

respiration

faeces and excretory products + dead bodies of organisms

feeding

heat lost to environment

4
Producers (Green plants) respiration

decomposition

2
CO2
heat released to environment

photosynthesis

+ CO2

Sun (light energy)

Energy flow
Energy flows from one trophic level to another. The flow is non-cyclic as it does not return to the organism which released it. It is lost mainly as heat.

Why are shorter food chains more efficient than long food chains?
Since energy is lost at each trophic level, less and less energy is available for the organism at the next level Discuss with A shorter food chain means more energy is available to your the finalpartner! consumer because less energy is lost to the environment Most food chains have not more than 5 trophic levels

Energy flow
about 10% of light energy from the Sun is stored in the plant tissues. If an animal eats the plant, only 10% of this is used to build new animal tissues. The rest is used by the animal to stay alive, keep warm and move about, and some is lost in its faeces and urine.

Energy flow
Thus from one trophic level to another: Only 10% of the energy is transferred. Remaining 90% is lost. 10% is used to build new cell matter and stored.

Energy flow

Energy flow
1. Energy lost as heat to the environment during respiration 2. Energy lost in faeces and excretory products 3. Energy lost in dead organisms

Carbon Cycle
Carbon, oxygen, nitrogen & water are essential nutrients for life. Nutrients are not lost to the environment but are recycled instead. Nutrients are finite and thus, must be recycled. Carbon cycle used as an example.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/movies/carbon_cycle_version 2.swf

Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis:
Carbon dioxide + water
Light energy chlorophyll

glucose + oxygen + water

Carbon Cycle
Respiration:
glucose + oxygen carbon dioxide + water + energy

Carbon Cycle
Release of CO2 into the environment: Respiration of living organisms Combustion of fossils fuels Decay of dead organisms

Carbon Cycle
Absorption of CO2 from the environment: Photosynthesis

Carbon Cycle
The cycle plays an important role in maintaining a balanced amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What would upset this balance? What are some of the effects of such an imbalance?

References
http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/warnell/kahrs/h/habitats.html http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodch ain/producersconsumers.htm http://www.geographyalltheway.com/ib_geography/ib_ecosystems/im agesetc/food_web_300.gif http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/movies/carbon_cycle_version 2.swf http://ez002.k12.sd.us/Chapter%20Two%20Science.htm http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/biology/organisms4.html