Nutritional Relationships

Niche
All organism have their niche in an
ecosystem.
Niche:
– The roll a species plays in the environment
 Autotrophs
Auto=self Troph=energy
Definition: Make their own
energy
Also known as Producers
Create energy through
photosynthesis (using
light) or through
chemosynthesis (using
chemicals)
 Heterotroph
Hetero=different Troph=energy
Definition: gets energy from somewhere else
 Types of heterotrophs
Decomposers
– Definition: obtain
energy by feeding on
decaying organisms
– Mushrooms, bacteria
– Saprophytes: non-
green plants living off
of dead material.
– Useful because they
recycle materials in
ecosystems.
 Heterotroph cont.
Herbivores: only eat
plants
Carnivores: only eat
meat
Omnivores: eat both
plants and meat
Scavengers: eat meat
theat has already
been killed (aka
detrivores)
 Food Chain
Shows how energy moves through an
ecosystem by showing who eats who.
 Trophic pyramid
Shows how energy moves through a food chain
 Energy Pyramid cont.
10% of the energy moves from the level below to
the level above
 Biomass Pyramid
Biomass: Mass of living tissue in each level
 Relationships between
organisms
Parasitism: One organism benefits and the other
is hurt ex: a tic or leach
 Relationships between
organisms
Mutualism: Both
organisms benefit
 Relationships between
organisms
Commensalism: One organism benefits and the
other is not affected at all.
 Predator vs. Prey
The Predator is the organism that hunts
The prey is the organism that is being hunted