Energy Transfer

All living things need energy to survive

Where does energy come from

• Energy comes from food• Plants Energy• Comes from the sun through photosynthesis• Animal Energy • Comes from eating either plants, animals, or

both plants and animals• ***The source of most life giving energy

comes from the Sun!

Capturing the Sun’s Energy

• Animals (most) cannot use the Sun’s energy to make food

• Only producers (plants) can change the Sun’s energy into good energy through photosynthesis

Food Chain

• Consumer eats a producer, some of the stored energy is passed on to the consumer

• If consumer is eaten by another consumer, energy is passed on to the second consumer

• If the second consumer is eaten by another consumer, energy is passed on to the third consumer

• Transfer of energy creates a food chain

Food Chain: is the path of energy transfer from one organism to another

Grass Mouse Cat Hawk

Moving Up The Line

• Plants are often the first link in the food chain• 1st Order Consumers = organisms that eat

producers• Examples: mice, grasshoppers, rabbits• 2nd Order Consumers = eat 1st Order

Consumers• Do 2nd Order Consumers depend on 1st Order

Consumers?

Food Chains & Decomposers

• Where are decomposers in the food chain?• Decomposers get energy from breaking down

dead plants and animal matter. • Can be found in soil• Example: bacteria, fungi, worms

What is a food web?

• Consumers and decomposers get energy from more than one kind of food.

• Organism can be part of many food chains• Food chains can overlap• The overlapping of food chains form food

webs

Food Web