Ecology is the study of organisms and their relationship with their surroundings. Ecologists study the interaction between an organism and its environment. Some ecologists study a specific species or habitat. They might study the behaviour of a single species to see how it interacts with other organisms and the environment. Or, an ecologist might study many different species that either depend on each other (a food web, for example), or compete with each other for food and space
Every organism needs to obtain energy in order to live. For example,plants get , energy from the sun, some animals eat plants, and some animals eat other animals.
A food chain is the sequence of who eats whom in a biological community (an ecosystem) to obtain nutrition.
- The arrows indicate the direction of energy flow.
- The food chain moves food from one organism to another, giving energy to the organism digesting the food.
Eg. Buttercup → Bee → Thrush → Hawk. Plankton → Herrings → Salmon →Seals → Killer whales
- All food chains start with the sun which provides energy for plants.
- Photosynthesis by plants converts light energy to food. Plants are considered producers because they make their own food.
- The producers above are grass, buttercup, rosebush and plankton.
- Animals, including humans, cannot make their own food. As a result, they must get their energy from other sources, usually plants and other animals. Thus, animals are considered consumers.
As you can see in the diagram, food chain is the sequence of who eats whom in a biological community (an ecosystem) to obtain nutrition. Every organism needs to obtain energy in order to live. For example, plants get energy from the sun, some animals eat plants, and some animals eat other animals.