Chapter 3

• Trophic Levels - used to locate the position or level of an organism during its energy seeking activities
• Rice - producer
• Pugo (bird) - primary consumer
• Snake - Secondary Consumer
• Hawk - Tertiary Consumer
• 4 Major Trophic Levels:

  • Primary Producers
  • Primary Consumers
  • Secondary Consumers
  • Tertiary Consumers
• Primary Producers - algae, plants, cynobacteria
• Primary Consumers - Herbivores
• Secondary Consumers - Carnivores
• Tertiary Consumers - detritivores
• Primary Consumers are also called Autotrophs
• Primary producers - photosynthetic organisms that get their energy from the sun to make their own food during photosynthesis
• Primary Producers process:

  • where plants, algae and cyanobacteria use solar energy to produce sugar (carbohydrate)
  • through cellular respiration converts sugar into ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)
• ATP - Adenosine Triphosphate
• ATP - it is the energy molecule or fuel used by all living things
• The conversion of unusable energy is associated with the actions of the green pigment called chlorophyll
• Chlorophyll - green pigment
• PHOTOSYNTHESIS - begins with the sunlight and ends with the production of glucose
• PHOTOSYNTHESIS Formula - 6CO2+6H20+sunlight & chlorophyll = C6H1206 + 602
• PHOTOSYNTHESIS Process:

  1. Water - absorbed from the roots
  2. Chlorophyll - traps the light energy to make food
  3. Carbon Dioxide - enters through the stomata of the leaves
  4. Sugar is then Converted into starch
  5. Oxygen - given off into the air
  6. Starch - Stored food in other parts of the plant, turns iodine dark blue
• Xylem Tissue - plants absorb water
• Water is transported from the roots to the photosynthetic system called leaves
• CO2 - absorbed in the stomata of the leaves
• Chlorophyll - traps light energy, makes water react with CO2, produce sugar and oxygen
• Produced during photosynthesis - Starch and Oxygen
• Ingredients during photosynthesis - Carbon dioxide, water, chlorophyll, sunlight
• Primary Consumers - organisms that eat autotrophs or primary producers typically herbivores
• Herbivores - obtain energy and nutrients from plants
• Primary Consumers Examples :

  • lady bug
  • gazelle
  • bison
  • zooplankton
  • manatee
• Secondary Consumers - a carnivore directly feeding on a primary consumer
• Example of secondary consumer - Bird eating a worm
• Tertiary Consumer - a carnivore that eats a secondary consumer
• Example of tertiary consumer - Eagle eating a snake
• Omnivores - animals that eat both plants and animals
• Omnivores Examples:

  • dogs
  • cats
  • chicken
  • raccoon
  • bear
• Food Chain - path of food from a final consumer back to a producer
• 2 basic types of natural food chain

  1. Grazer Food Chain
  2. Detritus Food Chain
• Grazing Food Chains - start with producers (plants) and end with consumers (animals)
• Detritus Feeding Food Chain - starts with dead organic matter, ends with decomposers
• Grazer Food Chain - any herbivore that grazes on or consume\s plants and usually eaten by carnivore