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Saturday, 20 December 2008!
HandWritten on; 17:14
HOW DO ENERGY AND NUTRIENTS FLOW THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM?
The living organisms in an ecosystem are made up of PRODUCERS CONSUMERS and DECOMPOSERS. Energy and nutrients are transferred from producers to consumers to decomposers through feeding.
PRODUCERS: -convert energy from the sun or light energy into chemical energy and store as food during
photosynthesis.
-ONLY organisms that can make their own food from inorganic raw materials.
-mainly green plants (including certain bacteria & algae)
-either directly or indirectly affect the lives of other organisms as they provide energy and oxygen.
CONSUMERS: -All animals
-obtain their energy by feeding on other organisms.
Primary consumers: -Herbivores
-feed directly on producers.
Secondary consumers: -Carnivores
-feed on herbivores (primary consumers)
Tertiary consumers: -Carnivores
-feed on other carnivores
DECOMPOSERS: -obtain energy by breaking down dead organisms faeces and excretory products.
-The materials locked up in the waste matter are released when they are broken down.
-Materials such as inorganic nutrients carbon and nitrogen compounds return to the physical environment and are used by the green plants.
FOOD CHAIN
-Path of food from a given final consumer back to a producer.
-Series of organisms through which energy is transferred in the form of food.
-Each stage in a food chain is known as a TROPHIC LEVEL.
ps. food chain do not have more than four trophic levels.
food chain (picture from pack152.net)
FOOD WEB
-interlinked from food chains
-may be two or more food chains in a food web
HOW DO ENERGY AND NUTRIENTS FLOW THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM?
