INTERACTIONS

Every activity that

organisms do in
ecosystems—breathing,
moving, running,
burrowing, growing—
requires energy.
The flow of energy is the
most important factor
that controls what kinds
of organisms live in an
ecosystem. Plants, some
kinds of bacteria, and
algae are capable of
converting energy from
the sun into chemical
energy and store it as
chemical energy known
as food. These organisms
are called producers. The
process is called
photosynthesis; it uses
water, carbon dioxide,
and sunlight. Most plants
make much more food
each day than they need.
Plants may convert
excess glucose into
starch. Starch may then
be stored in other parts of
the plants such as roots
and fruits. The stored
energy is transferred to
other organisms for their
survival. When people and
other organisms eat
plants, chemical energy
from food substances is
transferred to their
bodies. Energy moves
from one trophic level to
another. This means that
energy flows from one
organism to another in
the ecosystem.
Organisms that consume
food for their energy
supply are called
consumers. Food chains
may be interconnected to
form a food web. For
example, one kind of food
may be eaten by several
consumers. Or several
foods may be eaten by
one consumer. Besides
the producers and the
consumers, the food web
shows the decomposers
consisting of bacteria and
fungi. Decomposers act
on dead organisms and
change these to simple
nutrients which plants
can use again.
TASK:
Create a simple food
chain. Write your answer
in our Science notebook.