9/18/13 Objective: How do living things get their energy? Do Now: Where does the ultimate source of energy come from for all of life? Ecology ecology: the interactions between organisms and their environment habitat: the place where an organism lives Biotic factors: all of the living things Abiotic factors: non-living conditions Types of organisms Producers (autotrophs): make their own food Energy from the sun Consumers (heterotrophs): eat other organisms for energy Herbivores: eat plants Carnivores: eat animals Omnivores: eats both plants and animals Decomposers: break down remains of plants and animals Food Chains Draw the Arrows: GrassInsectBirdFox Where does the initial energy come from? How does each organism obtain their energy? This is a food chain A food chain is a sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism Food Webs Food webs are interconnected food chains that show many feeding relationships hawk Birdsnake mouseinsect seeds grass - The arrows show the FLOW OF ENERGY Food Webs Energy flows in one direction. Which direction? Energy flows from producers to herbivores to carnivores to decomposers Factors that affect stability Food webs more stable than food chains Factors that effect stability Removing or adding organisms in food web can be harmful to the stability of the ecosystems.