Integrated Science

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANTS

created by Raul Thomas
Objectives:
 Explain the way in which living
organisms depend on plants
directly or indirectly for food.
 Define food chain and web.
 Interacting with the Environment
Environment
 Everything around you is part of your environment.

 In the classroom you are surrounded by living and

non-living things ( books, desks, teacher, other
students, etc).

 The surroundings of an organism, composed of

biotic and abiotic factors.
Biotic
The living things in the environment.

Abiotic
The non-living things in the environment. or
example light, temperature, wind patterns,
rocks, soil
 Habitat
The place that suits an organism and where
it can live (we do not find fish living in tree) .

Habitat must supply everything the organism

needs for growth and reproduction.

Habitats may be on land

(terrestrial habitats) or
in water (aquatic).
Living organisms need particular things in
order to survive. They can find these things
in habitats. Tropical fish need warm salty
water, so they are found in habitats such as
the Caribbean sea.
Some of the biotic and abiotic components
that organisms need in their habitats are:
 Sources of food
 Water
 Air
 Light
 Suitable temperature
 Ecosystem
 This is a community of living organisms and
physical environment.

 In an ecosystem, the living organisms (biotic

elements) interact with each other and with
the abiotic elements around them.

 In an ecosystem, each organism

has its' own role to play
 Feeding Relationships
• This is a good example of how living
organisms in an ecosystem interact with
each other.
• Our food ultimately comes from a plants.
Plants directly supply most of our food
such as vegetables,fruits,carbohtdrates.
 What is Food Chain ?
The sequence by which energy pass from
plant to animal and then to other animals.

The feeding relationship between plants and

animals.
Where do the arrows point?
 Groups of living things in an ecosystem

1.Producers
 These are organisms that make their own food.

 The producers are green plants which make

food by photosynthesis.
 Consumers
Organisms that feed on other organisms.
2.Herbivores
 Organisms that feed on plants only.
 These are call primary consumers.
3. Carnivores
 Animals that feed on other animals only.
 They are call secondary consumers.
4. Omnivores
 Animals that eat both plants and
animals.
 They are call tertiary consumers.
5. Decomposers
 These include fungi and bacteria
 They obtain food by decomposing dead
organic material and wastes.
 These organisms break down complex
substances and release simple inorganic
substances from dead organisms so that
these can returned to the environment.
 The top of the food chain.

Some animals are said to be at the top of the food

chain. This is because they are not hunted by other
animals.

No other animal hunts the lion.

The lion is at the top of the food
chain. Can you think why?
 Food Webs

 In the environment, animals may eat

more than one thing, so they belong to
more than one food chain.
 A food web is a network of food chains
or the interconnections of food chains
in an ecosystem.
 To get the food they need, small
herbivores may eat lots of different
plants, and carnivores may eat many
different animals.
 Example of a Food Web

We can show this by using a food web, which is just a more

complicated version of a food chain.

owl fox

rabbits mice

grass seeds berries

Question and Answer
Session????
 What are organisms called which:
 A)Only eat Plants?
 B)Only eat Meat?
 C)Eat both Plants and Animals?

 What is a Food Chain?

 What is the difference between a food
chain and a web?
Class Activity
 Create two examples of food Chains.
 From those two food chains create a
simple food web
The End
Objectives:
Explain the principles of a food
chain;
Illustrate from a selected habitat
a food chain .
Identify the trophic level of
organisms in the food chain;
Review
 What is a Food Chain?
 What is a Food Web?
What is a Food Chain or Web?
 Food chains and food webs are ways of viewing the earth’s energy
and nutrient cycles.
 The interactions of the organisms at each level are often represented
as links of a chain or strands in a web.
How do Food Chains Work?

 Most of the earth’s energy comes from the sun, is

trapped and converted, along with soil nutrients, to
stored energy (food) by green plants.

 It is then passed along to animals and microorganisms

through the rest of the food chain until it is returned the
soil, where the process begins again (a food web is just
a more complex version of a food chain).
Food Chain
 Energy is lost in
each step up a food
chain
 Only 10 percent
of the energy from
one level on the
food chain is
available to the next
level
Food Webs
• Many consumers and
decomposers have
more than one food
source
• Movement of energy
occurs in complex
webs rather than in
simple chains
Select this paragraph to edit
Select this paragraph to edit
 Energy Pyramids
 Energy pyramids show
the reduction of
available energy at
each higher trophic
level
Biomass Distribution
Why a Pyramid?
• Producers must comprise most of the
mass of the biotic part of an ecosystem
– This is the ONLY place where energy (solar)
enters the ecosystem
• Energy is always lost in the form of heat,
so energy transfers are no more than 10%
efficient
• Each trophic level must be supported by a
10/1 energy ratio below it
The 10% Rule
 Feeding is the process by which organisms
obtain energy and raw materials for life
processes.

 The arrows show the direction of energy

flow from organism to organism in the
ecosystem.

 The different stages of feeding in a food

chain are called trophic levels.
Energy Losses
 The sun provide plants with energy for
photosynthesis.

 Each organism in the food chain uses some

energy.
 When food passed from one trophic level to
the next, a lot of the energy is lost.

 Energy is loss by respiration, urine, faeces

and undigested parts.

 There is less energy available the further you

go along the chain.
Trophic Level
 This is the position an organism occupies in a
food chain.

 The organism at first trophic level is the

producer.

 Herbivores are found at the second trophic

level.
 Carnivores are normally found at the third
trophic level.

 At the fourth trophic level a second carnivore

is found.
Questions and Answers
 What is a Food Chain?
 What does the term Tropic level
means?
 Create two examples of food Chains
and identify the trophic levels
 From those two food chains create a
simple food web
Questions and Answers
 Is a tree a producer
or a consumer?

 Are bacteria
consumers or
decomposers?

 Is an eagle a primary
or secondary
consumer?