Types of Consumers

• Organisms require energy to perform the seven life processes
• Plants function as producers by creating their own food
• Other organisms are consumers, relying on other organisms for food

Types of Consumers

• Herbivores consume plants exclusively
• Male buffalo can weigh up to 850 kg
• Eland's height, measured from foot to shoulder, can reach up to 1.6 meters
• Elephants have a gestation period of 22 months
• The black rhino is extinct, while approximately 18,000 white rhinos remain
• Black rhinos have a pointed lip, whereas white rhinos have a flat lip
• Carnivores consume other animals
• Predators, such as leopards and lions, hunt for food
• Insectivores, like the aardwolf and chameleons, primarily eat insects
• Scavengers, including vultures, jackals, crows, and hyenas, feed on dead animal material
• Omnivores have a diet consisting of both plants and animals
• Examples of omnivores include baboons, vervet monkeys, warthogs, and humans
• Decomposers break down dead plant and animal matter
• This process of breaking down matter recycles nutrients back into the soil
• Examples of decomposers include maggots, dung beetles, earthworms, and fungi

Energy Flow in an Ecosystem

• Plants and algae use photosynthesis to capture light energy
• Energy is passed along a food chain, moving from producers to consumers
• Decomposers are the last link in a food chain, breaking down dead tissues of organisms

Food Chains

• Food chains show how energy flows from one organism to the next
• Food Chain Structure:
• Producer: Produces its own food via photosynthesis
• Primary Consumer: Obtains energy directly from the producer
• Secondary Consumer: Obtains energy from the primary consumer
• Tertiary Consumer: Obtains energy from the secondary consumer
• Trophic Levels indicate an organism's position in the food chain
• Trophic Level 1: Producer
• Trophic Level 2: Primary consumer
• Trophic Level 3: Secondary consumer
• Trophic Level 4: Tertiary consumer
• Arrows in food chains indicate the direction of energy flow
• Pyramid Structure:
• The base of the pyramid is Trophic level 1 (producer)
• Less energy is available as you move up the pyramid

Energy Transfer

• Organisms use 90% of energy from food for cell respiration
• Only 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level
• Example:
• If a plant produces 10,000 joules of energy
• Trophic level 2 will receive 1,000 joules (10,000 x 10%)
• Trophic level 3 will receive 100 joules (1,000 x 10%)
• Trophic level 4 will receive 10 joules (100 x 10%)
• Energy is measured in joules (J)

Food Webs

• Food webs represent interconnected food chains
• Food chains are connected and intertwined to form the web
• All food webs begin with a producer
• A four trophic level food chain consists of four organisms
• Example: tree → deer → snake → eagle
• A three trophic level food chain consists of three organisms
• Example: grass → mouse → snake or eagle