Feeding Relationships in Ecosystems

Feeding Relationships between Organisms

• Producers: organisms that can make their own food, also known as autotrophs (e.g., most land and aquatic plants, phytoplankton, algae)
• Consumers: organisms that consume other plants and animals as a source of nutrition, cannot make their own food (e.g., any animal)

Types of Consumers

• Herbivores: feed exclusively on plants (e.g., grasshoppers, butterflies, cows, manatees)
• Carnivores: feed only on animals (e.g., praying mantis, lions, dolphins)
• Omnivores: feed on both plants and animals (e.g., pigs, humans)

Food Chains

• A food chain is a linear diagram showing how food or nutrients (energy source) pass from one organism to another
• Arrows show the movement of energy along a food chain
• The start of the food chain is always the producer (in reality, the sun, the ultimate source of energy used in photosynthesis)
• Food chains become longer as one organism consumes another

Consumer Levels

• Herbivores: primary consumers, feed on producers
• Carnivores: secondary consumers, feed on herbivores
• Tertiary consumers: feed on secondary consumers, and so on

Trophic Levels

• Trophic level: the number of steps an organism is away from the start of the food chain
• Each organism in a food chain represents a trophic level

Food Webs

• A food web shows the interlinking of multiple food chains
• One organism may feed on several organisms and in turn be eaten by several organisms
• Decomposers and detritivores are the last stop in a food web, causing decay and returning energy to the food chain

Decomposers and Detritivores

• Decomposers: organisms that feed on dead organic matter (e.g., bacteria, fungi)
• Detritivores: organisms that feed on small fragments of dead material called detritus (e.g., earthworms)

Feeding Relationships between Organisms

• Organisms in an ecosystem interact with each other, either directly or indirectly.
• Symbiosis describes specific relationships where different species live together.
• There are three types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Mutualism

• A mutualistic relationship is when two organisms of different species live together and both benefit.
• Example: an egret feeds on insects on a cow's body, and the cow benefits from having harmful insects removed.

Commensalism

• A commensalistic relationship is when one species benefits and the other is not harmed.
• Example: a remora fish attaches to a shark and feeds on scraps of food while the shark is unaffected.

Parasitism

• A parasitic relationship is when one species benefits and the other is harmed.
• Example: a tapeworm lives in a human's gut, receiving nutrients, while the human is harmed by not receiving nutrients and having their health impacted.

Feeding Relationships

• Producers and consumers are part of a food chain, with producers making their own food and consumers obtaining food from other organisms.
• Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are types of consumers based on their mode of feeding.
• Food chains can be constructed to show different trophic levels.
• Decomposers play a crucial role in feeding relationships.
• Special feeding relationships have advantages and disadvantages.

Feeding Relationships between Organisms

• Organisms in an ecosystem interact with each other, either directly or indirectly.
• Symbiosis describes specific relationships where different species live together.
• There are three types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Mutualism

• A mutualistic relationship is when two organisms of different species live together and both benefit.
• Example: an egret feeds on insects on a cow's body, and the cow benefits from having harmful insects removed.

Commensalism

• A commensalistic relationship is when one species benefits and the other is not harmed.
• Example: a remora fish attaches to a shark and feeds on scraps of food while the shark is unaffected.

Parasitism

• A parasitic relationship is when one species benefits and the other is harmed.
• Example: a tapeworm lives in a human's gut, receiving nutrients, while the human is harmed by not receiving nutrients and having their health impacted.

Feeding Relationships

• Producers and consumers are part of a food chain, with producers making their own food and consumers obtaining food from other organisms.
• Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are types of consumers based on their mode of feeding.
• Food chains can be constructed to show different trophic levels.
• Decomposers play a crucial role in feeding relationships.
• Special feeding relationships have advantages and disadvantages.