-organisms that synthesis their organic molecules from imple inorganic substances

-in most ecosystems this will be platns making glucose and other organic molecules from CO2 and H2O

-these could be large plants like an oak tree or microscopic phytoplankton in the ocean

-organisms that ingest other organic matter that is living or was recently killed

 -can be big, scary predators or total vegetarians

-ingest non-living organic matter

-include dung beetles, millipedes eating decaying leaves and earthworms

-live on or in non-living organic matter, secreting digestive enzymes into it and absorbing the products of digestion

ex)bracket fungi on dead wood

-the position of an organism in its food chain

-animal may occupy different trophic levels

(ex) chimpanzee is a primary(fruits) and a secondary (monkeys)

-variations may depend on seasonal availability, opportunism or differences in life cycle

 -ecologists tned to avoid terms such as herbivore and carnivore

producer: carrot platn (Daucus carota)

primary consumer: carrot fly (Psila rosea)

secondary consumer: flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

tertiary consumer: sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

quarternary consumer: goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

FOOD WEB

ENERGY PYRAMIDS

• diagrams that show how much energy flows through each trophic level in  community.
• amounts of energy are shown per square meter of area occupied by the community and per year (KJm^-2year^-1)

• some organims die before an organism in the next trophic level eats them
• some parts of organisms such as bone or hair are not eaten
• some parts of organisms are indigestible and pass out as feces
• much of the energy absorbed by an organism is released in cell respiration.

energy absorbed by living organisms is only available to the next trophic level if it remains as chemical energy in the growth of the organism.