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This overview explores the four organizational levels in ecology: producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. It delves into the concept of primary production, elucidating how autotrophs, such as plants and phytoplankton, convert sunlight or chemicals into energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. The energy pyramid illustrates the movement of energy through trophic levels, demonstrating that only about 10% of energy is transferred between levels, while the rest is lost as heat and waste. Understanding these relationships is crucial for comprehending ecosystem dynamics.
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WARM UP What are the 4 levels of organization in Ecology?
ECOSYSTEMS:Energy Flow Food Chains www.swpc.noaa.gov/
Autotrophs • Means “self-feeder” • Organisms that obtain their energy from sunlight or chemical reactions • Two different processes to gain energy: • Photosynthesis • Chemosynthesis Phytoplankton bloom off Irish Coast http://www.galway.net/galwayguide/pod/phytoplankton.small.jpg
Photosynthesis • Chemical reaction that transforms light energy into chemicalenergy. • Creates carbohydrates: sugars and starches. • Carbon Dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/photosynthesis.jpg
Chemosynthesis • Chemical reaction that transforms one type of chemical energy into a usable chemical energy. • Many derive energy from sulfur-containing molecules. • Bacteria in hydro-thermal vent communities. • Unique because they do not derive energy from the sun. http://aich.aiistudentwork.com/students/joshpierce/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/hydrothermal_vent.jpg
Hydrothermal Ventshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXGF3XS-yAI
Primary Production • Autotrophic organisms are the base of all energy in ecosystems. • Called primary production: • Amount of chemical energy converted from solar energy through the process of photosynthesis • Measured by determining biomass • Biological mass = total dry weight of plant matter
Heterotrophs • Means “other feeder” • Organisms obtain their energy from the consumption of other organisms Heterotroph Diversity Images from Google Image Search
Primary Consumers • Heterotrophic organisms consume producers • Consume plants or algae • Known as herbivores or plant eaters • Come in all shapes and sizes Images from Google Image Search
Secondary Consumers • Carnivores- meat eaters • Omnivores— eat both producers and consumers (Humans, bears and dogs) • Detritivores (decomposers) • Eat deadorganisms • Very important to ecosystem Images from Google Image Search
The Energy Pyramid • Movement of energy through an ecosystem • Illustrated by the energy pyramid • Visual way energy moves through food chain • Each step called a trophic (feeding) level
Biomass Pyramid Trophic Level 4th Carnivore 3rd Carnivore 2nd Herbivores 1st Producers
The Energy Pyramid • First trophic level • Base of pyramid formed by producers • Second trophic level • Primary consumers who eat producers • Third trophic level • Secondary consumers who eat primary consumers • Fourth trophic level • Tertiary consumers who eat secondary consumers Images from Google Image Search
Energy Loss • Only about 10% of the energy available in an ecosystem is transferred from one trophic level to the next. • The rest of the energy is lost through heat and waste products (including nails, hair, horns, hooves, etc.) http://mrskingsbioweb.com/images/enpyr1.gif
