Science Unit 4

Energy Flows Through an Ecosystem as a Continuous Cycle

The decomposers break down dead organisms and return nutrients to water and soil for the producers to use as nutrients. The herbivores and omnivores consume the producers and ingest their energy, and the carnivores consume the herbivores and omnivores and ingest their energy. The decomposers the do their work to break down the left over dead parts, and the cycle continues, just as the energy transfer continues.

Parasitism

one organism benefits and the other is harmed ex: tick and a human

Commensalism

one organism benefits, the other is unaffected ex: jungle orchids growing on tall trees to get sunlight

Decoposers

these organisms BREAK DOWN DEAD ORGANISMS into simpler substances and return important nutrients to the soil and water. They are essential to the ecosystem because they rid the environment of dead plants and animals, like Mother Natures's Garbage Disposal! More importantly they return nutrient like CARBAN, NITROGEN, PHOSPHOROUS, SLFER AND MAGNESIUM to the environment ex: molds, mushrooms, bacteria

Omnivores

type of consumer- eats both plants and other organisms ex: humans, crows, bears

Scavengers

type of consumer- feeds off of dead animals, they are kinda like a decomposer, they don't necessarily go after live things, they want other things to do the work, most likely on the top of the food chain, when they come the other animals scatter, they will eat down to the bone ex: Jackals, Hyenas, Vultures

Carnivores

type of consumer- only eats other animals will never ever eat plants, they are not interested, this doesn't always mean that they chew and digest ex: spiders, snakes, wolves

Herbivores

type of consumer- only eats plants, they will never eat other organisms they are not interested ex: rabbits, grasshoppers

Producers

use a source of energy like the sun, to MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD in an ecosystem. ex: plants, blue-green algae (usually plants, but can be some microorganisms)

Ecosystem

is all the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with on another.

Community

is an area made up of many different types of organisms.

A Feeding Level

is the location of an organism along the food chain

Energy Levels

(stored energy from food intake) decreases as you move up the food cain because more energy is needed and expelled for movement, digestion, reproduction, growth and survival. Energy levels are shown as a PYRAMID OF ENERGY. The producers are the first link of the food cain and the bottom or base of the pyramid. They make their own food, so there is a lot of energy available to them and they expel little energy for life functions. As you move up to the herbivores, the second link and the second tier of the pyramid, stored anergy level gets increasingly less. Herbivores do no have to hunt or chase their food, but they do utilize energy to digest, grow, reproduce, move etc...

Food Web

shows the relationship between the overlapping food chains in an environment. A food chain shows only a glimpse of the interaction, a food web shows a more diverse diagram of them many different interconnections within any given community or ecosystem. ex. overlapping food chains = food web A diatom (microorganism) is eaten by a tiny water animal, which is later eaten by a fish that is eaten by a penguin. The penguin is eaten by a seal which is later eaten by a polar bear. Each of these organisms is part of individual food chains, which is interconnected in a food web.

Ecologist

study living and nonliving parts of the environment because together they make up the entire ecosystem; they are all interconnected and affect each other. There are relationships among an environment's plants, animals, soil, water, temperature, light and other living and nonliving things.

Food Chain

a series of events where food and energy are transferred from one organism to another in an ecosystem first: producer second: herbivore/ omnivore third: carnivore/ omnivore ex: Lion-Zebra-Grass The energy is transferred up the food chain from the producer to the herbivore the carnivore. The omnivore eats both plants and animals so they fall somewhere in between the second and third like depending on the situation. The decomposers connect the end of the food chain to the beginning by breaking down the dead organisms into usable nutrients for the producers to eat.

Competition

an interaction in an ecosystem in which organisms struggle with one another for limited resources in order for survival some things that organisms compete for resources of food, water, light and suitable places to live (space, shelter)

Consumers

are organisms that CAN NOT MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD, they rely on other organisms for their energy and food source.

Mutualism

both organisms benefit ex: bumble bee and the flower

Population

is a group of on type of organism that lives together (like a certain species). Each type of living thing makes up a population within the community.

Symbiosis

is a relationship between two organisms where at least one of the organisms benefits from the interaction. There are three categories - Mutualism, Parasitism and Commensalism