Interactions

Subtitle

Introduction
All organisms need energy to sustain life. Each activity
that organisms do in ecosystems requires energy.
Plants, some kind of bacteria, and algae are capable of
converting energy from the sun into chemical energy
and store it as food. This group of organisms is called
producer. The process is called photosynthesis, it uses
H2O, CO2 and sunlight.

 Plants excess glucose is converted into starch and is

stored in their body.
People and organisms eat plants , and chemical energy
from food is transferred to their bodies. Organisms that
consume food for their energy supply are called
consumers.
Scientists assigned organisms in ecosystem to a
specific level called the Trophic level.

Energy moves from one trophic level to another. This

means that energy flows from one organism to another
organism

Trophic
Structure
Energy transfer within an
ecosystem, represented by
a pyramid diagram

 At each trophic level, some energy is available as food for the next
level
Each level decreases in size, 90% of energy lost through life processesrespiration, movement and excretion
Only 10% available as food, number of living organisms decreases as
trophic levels increase
Producers/autotrophs - first layer, produce their own food through
photosynthesis(green plants)
Primary consumers -eat the producers(herbivores)
Secondary consumers - consume the herbivores(carnivores)

Tertiary consumers - top predators that eat secondary consumers

Activity 1 How do you identify the component of a

food chain in an ecosystem?
Q1. What are the organisms found in the surrounding area of Monfort
Bat Cave?
Answer: Plants durian trees, other trees

Animals bats, crows, rats, pythons, monitors lizards, dogs, cats

Q2. What groups of organisms are considered producers?

Answer: The durian trees and other trees are the producers, providing
food for the bats.

Q3. What part of the durian trees and other trees served as food for the
bats?
Answer: Nectar and fruits served as food for the bats.

 Q4. The population of cave-dwelling bats is declining because they are

being eaten by other organisms. What are these organisms that feed on
bats?
Answer: Crows, rats, python, monitor lizards, cats, dogs, humans are
organisms that feed on bats.
Q5. Among the organisms that feed on bats, are there organisms that
possibly feed on the predators of bats?

Answer: Yes
Q6. Categories of organisms living in Monfort Bat Cave
Producers Durian trees, Other trees
1st Order Consumer bats
2nd Order Consumer crows, rats, python, monitor lizard, cats, dogs,
humans

Food Chain
Energy from the sun

Durian Tree

Bats

Python

Food chain shows the flow of energy from one organism to another.
In most ecosystem, energy does not follow simple straight paths because
individual animals often feed at several trophic levels.

Food Chain
A food chain is a transfer of energy from the sun in sequence,
for example, from green plants (convert energy from the sun
into chemical energy), to animals that eat plants, to animals
that eat other animals. The feeding of one organism, upon
another in a series of energy transfers is known as a food
chain.
Biomass or energy
Decomposers act on dead organisms and change these into
simple nutrients which plants can use again.

Interconnected
food chains
comprise this
simplified food
web in a forest.
Many organisms,
excluding the
decomposers,
such as bacteria
and fungi are not
shown in this
food web.

In marine
environment, food
chains begin with
microscopic algae
called phytoplankton.
Zooplankton eat
algae, in turn are
eaten by small fishes,
crustaceans and a
variety of sea
animals

The food web shows

decomposing the
decomposers
consisting of
bacteria and fungi.
Without
decomposers, will
producers and
consumers stay
alive? Why?
Without
producers, will
consumers stay
alive? Why?

Activity 2 Making Food Webs

Think of the food your family ate for supper last night. Make a food web based on
your meal. Remember , your food web must have producers, consumers and
decomposers.
Q1. To which group of organisms do you belong?
Answer: Consumer
Q2. Which trophic level do you occupy?

Answer: Definitely, humans occupy the top trophic level in the food web.

 Q3. Which group of animals has the greatest biomass? Which has the
greatest energy?
Answer: The producers, plankton that are producers greatest biomass
and energy
Q4. Which group of organisms has the least biomass? Which has the
least energy?
Answer: The top consumer, humans have the least biomass and energy.
Q5. What happens to the amount of biomass from the bottom to the top
of the pyramid?
Answer: The amount of biomass decreases at each succeeding level from
the bottom to the top of the pyramid.

Food Web
A food web shows the complex feeding interrelationships
between organisms in an area. It consists of interconnected
food chains.
A food chain or food web can be arranged in the form of a
pyramid. A pyramid of biomass shows the decreasing amount
of matter or tissue while an energy pyramid depicts the
decreasing amount of energy. The greatest amount of biomass
or energy is at the base of the pyramid. The amount of biomass
or energy decreases towards the top.

 While matter is recycled in ecosystems, energy flows only in

one direction 1st order from producer to consumer to 2nd order
consumer.
People are the top consumers in many food webs. To increase
food production, they use methods which may disrupt food
chains or food webs. They have to learn how to make decisions
to correct these mistakes.

Biomass and Energy

Biomass is the total mass of organisms in a food chain
or food web. Not all plants and animals at one level are
eaten by organisms at the next level. Some parts of
plants or animals are not edible. Only about 10 % of
biomass and energy are being transferred to the next
level. 90% of energy and biomass consumed by the
previous level.

Activity 3 Meat Eaters vs. Plant Eaters

Q1. How much
biomass of chicken
can 5000 kg of corn
support?

Answer: 500 kg
Q2. How much
biomass of humans
can the chickens
support?
Answer: 50 kg

 Q3. How much biomass of humans can

5000 kg of corn support?

Answer: 500 kg
Q4. Which is more efficient in converting
biomass of producers to biomass of
consumers plant eater or a meat eater?
Give an explanation.
Answer: Plant eater, the same biomass of
producers (corn) can support a greater
biomass of consumers (humans) than if
one were an animal. If each person has a
mass of 50 kg; 5000 kg of corn can
support 10 plant eaters with a total mass
of 500 kg and only 1 meal eats with mass
of 50 kg.

 Q5. What gas do plants produce that animals use?

Answer: Oxygen
Q6. What gas do animals produce that plants use?
Answer: Carbon Dioxide

Q7. Describe one way by which the following practices may disrupt a food chain or
food web
a) monoculture

b) use of insecticides
c) use of fertilizers

Definition
Monoculture - practice of growing just one crop: the practice of
growing a single crop in a field or larger area.

Insecticide - insect poison: a chemical substance used to kill insects.

Herbicide weedkillers : chemical substance for killing unwanted
plants: a chemical preparation designed to kill plants, especially
weeds, or to inhibit their growth.
Pesticide - The chemical agents called pesticides include herbicides
(for weed control), insecticides, and fungicides.

Fertilizers- natural or synthetic chemical substance or mixture used

to enrich soil so as to promote plant growth.

 Monoculture deprive many animals of their food and home. When land is converted
to (for example) rice farms, sugar farms and coconut farms, animals move to other
places. Insects who only eat monocrops remain in the area. Some soil
microorganisms depend on specific plants for food, without it cycling of nutrients is
disturbed
Herbicides and Insecticides destroy other organisms including beneficial insects
and soil microorganisms which help in decay. Insecticides move up the pyramid and
accumulate in the body of organisms. The greatest concentration is found in the top
consumers.
Chemical Fertilizers Continuous and uncontrolled use may increase soil acidity,
destroying soil structure. Fertilizers may run off to rivers, ponds and lakes, which may
cause death to these bodies of water. Fertilizers will increase growth of algae and
other water plants. They cover waters surface and block the passage of oxygen,
which will lead to the death of fishes and other aquatic animals

10 item exam
5 points Explain the Water Cycle
5 points Explain the Nitrogen Cycle