FOOD CHAIN
FOOD CHAIN Food chain is the path by which energy passes from one living thing to another.
The sun feeds plants, Greenfly eats leaves, Ladybird eats Greenfly, Robin eats Ladybird, Hawk eats Robin.
What is a food chain? A food chain is “a sequence of organisms, each of which uses the next, lower member of the sequence as a food source�
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• The energy flow from one trophic level to the other is know as a food chain • A food chain is simple and direct • It involves one organism at each trophic level – Primary Consumers – eat autotrophs (producers) – Secondary Consumers – eat the primary consumers – Tertiary Consumers – eat the secondary consumers – Decomposers – bacteria and fungi that break down dead organisms and recycle the material back into the environment
What is in a food chain? • Producers • Consumers • Decomposers
Top carnivores
heat
decompose rs
carnivores
herbivores
green plants
Light energy
nutrients
• In a food chain, each organism obtains energy from the one at the level below. • Plants are called producers because they create their own food through photosynthesis • Animals are consumers because they cannot create their own food, they must eat plants or other animals to get the energy that they need.
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PRODUCERS • Producers make their own food • Green plants use energy from the sun to make food • Producers are on the bottom of the food chain
Producers Every living thing needs energy to survive. This energy is used for everything - growing, moving, even breathing. Plants get their energy from the sun. The green colour in their leaves helps them to capture this energy. Without autotrophs, there would be no life on this planet Ex. Plants and Algae 9
Seaweed
Primary Producers
• Primary producers are “organisms capable of producing their own food4” • We can also say that they are photosynthetic, use light energy. • Examples of primary producers include algae, phytoplankton, and large plants. • Primary producers are eaten by primary consumers (herbivores)
Primary Producers Marsh Mallow
Cattails http://www.nicerweb.com/doc/class/pix/PRAIRIE/2005_07_18/Typha_angustifolia.jpg
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/Operations/dp_chief_eng/roadside/wildflowerbook/graphics/images/page14a.jpg
http://www.ontariowildflower.com/images/blueflag2.jpg
Fern
Blue Flag Iris
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http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=THEPALvPUB
CONSUMERS
Consumers hunt, gather, and store food because they cannot make their own.
Heterotrophs/Consumers • Organisms that do not make their own food • Another term for Heterotroph is consumer because they consume other organisms in order to live • Ex. Rabbits, Deer, Mushrooms CLASSIFICATION: 1.
Primary Consumers: Herbivores.
2.
Secondary Consumers: Carnivores that eat herbivores.
3.
Tertiary Consumers: Carnivores that eat other carnivores.
Herbivores They are the animals who eat plants such as: • Grasshoppers • rabbits • squirrels • deer • pandas
Herbivores: animals that eat only plants
Great Bittern - eats mostly Cattails, but also small insects
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Primary Consumers
Wood Duck eats seeds like those of the Swamp Marsh Mallow and Blue Flag Iris
http://dsf.chesco.org/ccparks/lib/ccparks/wood_duck_pair.jpg
Primary Consumers
Glassy-winged Toothpick Grasshopper – eats leaves of plants like cattail and pickerelweed
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http://bugguide.net/node/view/41662
Primary Consumers
Carnivores Animals who only eat other animals such as: • Tigers • Lions • Hawks • Wolves • Cougars, …
Secondary Consumers
Carnivores: animals that eat only other animals •
Black Rat Snake eats eggs of animals like wood duck
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/tate/Terms.htm
Omnivores Animals who eat both plants and animals such as: • human • bear • gorilla
Tertiary Consumers Eat other animals in marsh including snake and sparrow Eastern Imperial Eagle
golden eagle
Omnivores: animals that eat animals and plants
Omnivore
• Racoon eats seeds, fruits, insects, worms, fish, and frogs‌ and pretty much anything else they can get their paws on!
http://abouttitusville.com/BobPaty/Animals/images/Racoon.jpg
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Detritivore Worms are common detritivores in many ecosystems including marshes
Detritivore: Animals that eat dead materials and organic waste
Decomposers • Microorganisms that are able to break down large molecules into smaller parts • Decomposers return the nutrients that are in a living thing to the soil
Types of Food Chains Aquatic Water-related food chains with sea plants and animals
Terrestrial
Land-related food chains with land plants and animals
Food Web
“is eaten by”, NOT “what ate what”
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Food Web
Marine Food Webs
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Forest/Rainforest Webs
Food chain: mountain rivers
Green seaweed
Water snail
trout
Food chain: lowland rivers
Phytoplankton
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pike
crustacean
Zooplankton
chub
Food chain: Danube
Phytoplankton
saker
tench
perch 36
Food chain: Black sea
seaweed
seagull
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Sea worms
goby
Food chain: Fagus forest
fagus
squirrel
Brown bear
marten
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Food chain: Spruce forest
spurce
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Capercaillie
fox
Energy Pyramids
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An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy that moves from one trophic level to another in a food chain.
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The most energy is available at the producer level of the pyramid.
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The availability of energy decreases as it moves up the energy pyramid.
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Transfer of Energy • When a zebra eats the grass, it does not obtain all of the energy the grass has (much of it is not eaten) • When a lion eats a zebra, it does not get all of the energy from the zebra (much of it is lost as heat)
Ecology Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them.
Viki
RĂŠka
The Ecosystem of the Galga river
Kamilla
Anna
What happens if a link is broken? ď‚žWhen
a link in a chain breaks, the entire chain is broken. A food chain works the same way. When one animal changes, all the other animals are affected as well.
Breaking the chain It is important that humans take care not to damage food chains and eat sustainably sourced food. Changes to the environment, caused by pollution or global warming can lead to certain animals becoming extinct, affecting lots of food chains. We should do everything we can to protect habitats, food chains and the animals which depend on them. 46
Living things are intimately connected to their physical surroundings. Even small changes in the temperature of the air, the moisture in the soil, or the salinity of the water can have significant effects on the environment. Each species is affected by such changes individually.
According to Prof. Dr. Nihat AKBAŞ who has been searching «Dorylus» ants in İskenderun declared that Dorylus ants have continuously migrated towards the north (north is cooler) He states that this is the sign of the climate change and approaching desertification. The climate of İskenderun has been hotter and hotter year by year. These ants which live as a colony and do not have stable anthills have not passed the Bolkar Mountains until 2012, but, this year, they have been seen in the north of Bolkar mountains.
Climate change is also driving changes in the timing of seasonal biological activities. Studies have found that the seasonal behaviors of many species now happen 15– 20 days earlier than several decades ago. Migrant birds are arriving earlier, butterflies are emerging sooner, and plants are budding and blooming earlier.
For example, a small black-andwhite bird called the European pied flycatcher has not changed the time it arrives on its breeding grounds even though the caterpillars which feeds its young are emerging earlier. Missing food availability means fewer chicks are surviving. If it continues like that, it means, their population will DECREASE.
caretta caretta Caretta carettas eat jellyfish. If they become extinct, the number of jellyfish may increase. Jellyfish is dangerous for human being.
Honey, another example, is produced in a beehive, but the bees depend on pollen and nectar from the plants they pollinate. These plants depend on bees to pollinate them. The soil depend on the worms to aerate the soil. This diverse array of creatures is key to the functioning of the entire system. When one of them disappear, it means, the other will disappear too: If there are no bees, there are no flowers; if there are no flowers, there are no worms, if there are no worms, the soil cannot aerate the soil. So, plants cannot survive, and many species become extinct.
Why are bees disappearing? ď‚ž
Kids everywhere may revel in the fact that bees are no longer stinging them as frequently on playgrounds and in backyards, but the decline in honeybee populations in Spain and elsewhere signals a major environmental imbalance that could have farreaching implications for our agricultural food supply.
Possible causes: Chemicals.
Genetically modified crops.
Radiation.
Endangered species A species, either a plant or an animal, is considered endangered when all its living members are in danger of disappearing. This could be because of direct predation or as a consequence or the disappearance of a resource which their lives depend on, either by human action, changes in the environment, acts of nature, like natural disasters, or because of gradual changes in the climate.
According to searches, there are approximately 1.7 million identified species on the globe. Between 300,000 and 600,000 species could be committed to extinction--primarily as a result of human activities.
Plants and animals are simultaneously coping with climate change and many other human created stresses. Rivers—many of which are polluted by fertilizers or other chemicals—are dammed to provide water for crops or for people. Roads, cities, and farms break up habitats and migration routes, and human activities carry nonnative species into NEW ecosystems.
Example • DDT reached a concentration of 141 ppm in earthworms and 444 ppm in robins – (ppm = parts per million)
• Concentration of a chemical in animal at the top of the food chain may be high enough to: • cause death • adverse effects on behavior and reproduction • disease resistance • endanger a species – even when levels in the water, air, or soil are low.
Toxic materials in the food chain • Poisonous • Accumulate in the food • Damage the organisms • Two persistent toxic materials: Mercury & DDT
Mercury • Has been used to make insecticides and special paints
• Contact with food chain: – Damage of the nervous systems and reproductive systems of mammals
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Mercury is now banned from many chemical products
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Tuna are eaten by humans > possibility of getting mercury poisoning
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Larger fish are eaten by Tuna (concentration increases)
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Small fish are eaten by larger fish (concentration increases)
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Concentration of mercury increases due to high consumtion of plankton
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Mercury remains when plankton is eaten by small fish
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Plant plankton absorb mercury compounds
DDT • Is an insecticide that can pass up the food chain • From insects to small birds • And from the small birds to birds of prey (e.g. hawks)
DDT • Can accumulate in the birds of prey • Giving them a large amount of DDT • Concentrations of DDT in birds causes: –
weakness in their eggs
– and reduces their population
• DDT is now banned because of this
Bioaccumulation
Definition • Increase in the concentration of a chemical in a biological organism over time • Chemicals mostly inserted by humans (DDT, PCB) • The concentration of a chemical in an organism becomes higher – as in the air or water around it (bioconcentration) – as found in its food (biomagnification)
• A chemical becomes more and more concentrated as it moves up through food chain
The Process • Normal and essential process for the growth and nurturing of organisms • All animals daily bioaccumulation many vital nutrients • Such as the vitamins A, D, K • What concerns toxicologists: substances that can cause harm
Caribou—or wild reindeer— are a key species in the arctic ecosystem. They are a critical food source for bears, wolves, and a range of carrion feeders, as well as for indigenous people across the region. If they become extinct, bears and wolves become extinct, too. If plants become extinct, Caribou become extinct. If bears and wolves become extinct, there will be plenty of Caribou, there will be less plant to feed all Caribou, and so on.
Endangered species of Romania • Romania has a unique and high level of biodiversity and intact ecological systems • The Romanian national network of protected area includes: 3 biosphere reserves, 13 national parks, 14 nature parks, 5 Ramsar sites, 1 World Heritage sites, 2 geo-parks, many nature reserves, strict reserves, nature monuments and Nature 2000 sites.
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Endangered species in the Danube Delta • • • • •
Great white pelicans Beaver European kingfisher European pond turtle Sturgeon
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Endangered species in the Carpathian mountains
• Grey wolves • Brown bear • Black deer • Eurasian lynx • European bison • European wildcat 72
Endangered species in the Carpathian mountains • Edelweiss • Bujor de munte • Garofița Pietrei Craiului • Snake's head • Sângele voinicului
Other endangered species • Wood Grouse • Greater Spotted Eagle • Red breasted geese • The Great Bustard • Dihorul pătat • Egyptian Vulture 74
Endangered species in Spain
Iberian lynx The Iberian lynx is a rabbit specialist with a low ability to adapt its diet. A sharp drop in the population of its main food source, a result of two diseases, contributed to the feline's decline. The lynx was also affected by the loss of scrubland, its main habitat, to human development, including changes in land use and the construction of roads and dams.Highways split up their habitat and they are threatened by car hits. In the past decade more than 10 animals have died under the wheels of a car. A very high number if we realize we’re talking almost 5% of the total population. Although it has been legally protected against hunting since the early 1970s, they are still the victims of guns, traps and snares, particularly those set for other animals.
Cantabrian brown bear The Spanish brown bear or Cantabrian brown bear is among the animals most at risk of extinction in Spain. In the Asturias region in Spain, there were only an estimated 80 brown bears left in 2011. Human pressure has caused a destruction of brown bear habitat and hunting has caused a reduction in their numbers. However, recent protection measures are starting to prove fruitful. Now in the North of Spain there are about 200 bears, triple than two decades ago.
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The Drago is one of many endangered trees. It is considered as a symbol of the Canary Islands.
Spanish fir ď‚ž
Spanish firs have high scenic and scientific value. Despite the protection afforded there are still many threats on them. Arson, urbanization, erosion, lack of regeneration due to overgrazing, excessive uncontrolled visitors, etc. The greatest threat in the Iberian Peninsula is fire. Pests and diseases can also affect these trees.
German habitats • natural habitats of the animals are heavily damaged by agriculture, forestry or human buildings. • This presentation deals with our home region and some of the animals which often occur there.
In general • Big predators like the bear or the wolf are eradicated most of the big animals like deer have no enemies anymore Population can easily grow very fast
• That is one of the deepest human’s impact on nature
Deer • Wild dogs - big danger for the little fawns • Especially in the early summer wild dogs kill many of them. These dogs mostly are deferred by their owners.
Deer • Mating season: – No reaction to environmental influences – Dangerous, for example if they cross a road
Red deer • Agriculture and new roads make the natural habitat rising down. • Because of that the animals come into the cities and eat in your garden. Not only the hunters are fighting against that. The red deer has no really natural enemies in our area.
Wild boars • In the forest very important • in the fields they cause very high damage. • Population is growing very fast – because of no enemies and much food
• So it is very important to hunt the boars sharply.
Foxes • No naturally enemies • So population is rising • High fox stocks often cause rabies, so the foxes have to be hunted sharply
Raccoon • Raccoons were imported from Northern America • No enemies • Very fast growing population • Now they are a plague • In cities they are hunted
Raccoons • Very good climbers – they can get to nests in the trees that other predators can’t
• More than 71,000 raccoons were killed last year • Number of kills rose about more than 3300 • Hunters say that it is not enough
What should be done? The climate challenge is large and complex. It is unlikely that this challenge can be solved by using any single strategy or by the people of any single country. But it is very likely that the dedicated efforts of many people can help address this important challenge and its ecological consequences. This is what we
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are trying to do
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What must we do? In Spain there are many animals that are endangered and we must do everything possible to sow the seeds of their future, through legislation, recovery programs and other measures. Why must we face all these measures? Simply because it’s our part, as we have altered their habitat, destroying, polluting, making it fields, recreational areas and how are you, a hundred thousand things, we must hold what we are truly guilty. This responsibility calls for thinking that about 40% of Spain vertebrates are endangered and 7% are close to extinction.
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND • •
World Wildlife Fund has been working for the conservation of the Iberian lynx for over 10 years, fighting for proper protection and conservation of vital habitat. Specific action includes:
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Support for the captive breeding programme.
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Sponsorship of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE), leading to the development of an action plan for the Iberian lynx.
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Lobbying for all lynx habitat to be covered by the EU's Natura 2000 Programme.
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Protecting Spain's Coto Doñana Wetlands.
National parks in Spain
Natural parks in Andalusia
Many species of birds are migrating to Europe from Africa via Turkey in March and April, and returning back in September, October and November. There are three corridors for millions of migratory birds in Turkey, bosphorus, Çoruh Valley and Hatay-Belen. It is estimated that 5 billion of birds are migrating over Turkey. Mostly migrating birds are storks, pelicans, birds of prey, swallow, wild ducks, geese, and so on.
Planes are not allowed to land or take off during the day to Hatay airport, at the time of migrating. They can only land and take off very early in the morning and at night when the birds are asleep.
FOOD CHAIN POEM by COLETA – MARGARETA GIUPANA ‘‘OCTAVIAN GOGA’’ NATIONAL COLLEGE SIBIU
On a heap of earth there sat a fly Having a snack until a frog stopped by And opened its mouth so the fly could get in Do the big ones in this world always win?
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The joyful frog jumped in the river But at the sight of a fish it started to quiver The fish opened its mouth and the frog got in Do the big ones in this world always win?
The fish was still hungry and wanted a snack So it went looking and found an insect But the insect was on a hook and oh, did it hurt
Out of the river by a man it was reeled in Do the big ones in this world always win? 103
While eating the fish the man choked He died and laid there Till he became a pile of earth And flies came by to lay eggs within It seems that in this world the big ones don't always win.