Flow of Matter and Flow of Matter and EnergyEnergy

A food chain is a linear representation of who eats who in an ecosystem.

Producers (plants, algae)

Primary Consumer (herbivores)

Secondary Consumer (carnivores or omnivores)

Tertiary Consumer

Quaternary Consumer

If you die before being incorporated into the food chain...

Detritus Feeders

Scavengers

Decomposers

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Food Webs

Food webs show the interactions between many food chains

Photosynthesis

Cell Respiration

Trophic Pyramid

Quaternary Consumers10 kcal

Tertiary Consumers100 kcal

Secondary Consumers1000 kcal

Primary Consumers10,000 kcal

Producers100,000 kcal

Trophic PyramidAs you move up a As you move up a trophic pyramidtrophic pyramid

Energy decreasesEnergy decreases Number of Number of

individuals individuals decreasesdecreases

Biomass decreases Biomass decreases (# individuals (# individuals times their weight)times their weight)

Trophic Pyramids and Feeding a Starving Nation

Human Primary Consumers10,000 kcal

Producers100,000 kcal

Human Secondary Consumer1000 kcal

Cow Primary Consumer10,000 kcal

Producers100,000 kcal

Bioaccumulation