Energy flows through ecosystems.

1. Energy flows through ecosystems. Chapter 1 Section 3

2. Living things capture and release energy. • Producer: an organism that captures energy and stores it in food as chemical energy • Most energy enters an ecosystem through photosynthesis • In water – photosynthetic bacteria and algae

3. Living things capture and release energy. • Consumers: organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms • Primary consumers eat the producers • Secondary consumers eat the primary consumers • Tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumers

4. Living things capture and release energy. • Decomposers: organisms that break down dead plant and animal matter into simpler compounds • Use the last bit of energy from once-living matter • Return matter to soil or water where it may be used again and again

5. Models help explain feeding relationships. • Food Chain: describes the feeding relationship between a producer and a single chain of consumers in an ecosystem

6. caterpillar cattails Primary Consumer Producer heron frog Tertiary consumer Secondary Consumer Models help explain feeding relationships.

7. Models help explain feeding relationships. • Food Web: model of the feeding relationships between many different consumers and producers in an ecosystem • Contains many overlapping and interconnected food chains

8. Models help explain feeding relationships.

9. Available energy decreases as it moves through an ecosystem. • Energy pyramid: model that shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level of an ecosystem • Energy is lost as it moves up the pyramid so each level gets smaller

10. Available energy decreases as it moves through an ecosystem.