Feeding Relationships – Notes Summary

Feeding relationships describe how organisms in an ecosystem obtain their food and energy.
Organisms can be grouped according to what they eat. This helps us understand how energy
flows through an ecosystem.

Producers

Producers are organisms that can make their own food. Green plants and algae are producers
because they use sunlight to make food during the process of photosynthesis. The food that
plants produce can be used immediately or stored as starch in different parts of the plant.
Producers are very important because they form the base of all feeding relationships in an
ecosystem.

Consumers

Consumers are organisms that cannot make their own food. They depend on other organisms
for energy and nutrients. Consumers are grouped according to the type of food they eat.

Herbivores

Herbivores are animals that feed only on plants. They obtain energy directly from producers.
Examples of herbivores include giraffes, elephants, cows, locusts and aphids.

Carnivores

Carnivores are animals that feed on other animals. Some carnivores eat animals that are still
alive, while others eat animals that are already dead. There are different types of carnivores.

Predators are carnivores that hunt and kill other animals. The animals they hunt are called prey.
Examples of predators include leopards and eagles.

Scavengers are carnivores that feed on dead animals or decaying meat. Examples of
scavengers include vultures, hyenas and jackals. Some animals, such as lions and hyenas, can
both hunt and scavenge.

Insectivores are carnivores that feed mainly on insects. Examples include the aardwolf and
pangolin.

Omnivores

Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and other animals. They obtain energy from different
sources. Examples of omnivores include humans, pigs, warthogs and baboons.
Decomposers

Decomposers are organisms that break down the remains of dead plants and animals, as well
as their wastes. Examples of decomposers include bacteria, fungi, earthworms and dung
beetles.

Decomposers break down dead matter into simpler substances that are returned to the soil.
Plants absorb these nutrients through their roots. In this way, nutrients are recycled in the
ecosystem.

Decomposers are very important because there is a limited supply of nutrients on Earth. Without
decomposers, nutrients would remain trapped in dead organisms. This would cause the soil to
lose nutrients, plants would die, and animals that depend on plants would also die.

Food Chains and Food Webs – Notes Summary

Role of Plants in the Ecosystem

Plants and algae play a very important role in an ecosystem because they are producers.
Producers capture light energy from the Sun and use it to make their own food through the
process of photosynthesis. The food that plants produce contains energy from the Sun. Only a
small amount of the Sun’s energy is used by living organisms, but this energy is passed from
one organism to another through feeding relationship.

What is a Food Chain?

A food chain shows the feeding relationships between living organisms in an ecosystem. It
shows the transfer of energy from one organism to another.

A food chain always begins with producers because they can make their own food. It then
moves to consumers, and it ends with decomposers. Decomposers are not always shown in
simple food chains, but they are an important part of the ecosystem.

In a food chain, arrows show the direction in which energy flows. Energy moves from the
organism that is eaten to the organism that eats it.

Food Webs

In an ecosystem, there are many food chains connected together. Most animals eat more than
one type of food. Because of this, food chains are linked to form a food web.

A food web is a group of connected food chains. It shows the different feeding relationships in
an ecosystem and helps us understand how plants and animals are linked together in a
community.
Trophic Levels

Each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level.

The first trophic level consists of producers.​

The second trophic level consists of herbivores, which are also called primary consumers.​
The third and higher trophic levels consist of carnivores, which are called secondary and tertiary
consumers.

Energy Transfer and Energy Loss

Only a small amount of energy is passed from one trophic level to the next. Most of the energy
is used by organisms for life processes such as movement, respiration and reproduction. Some
energy is also lost as heat.

Only about 10% of the energy in one trophic level is transferred to the next level. This means
that energy decreases as you move up the food chain.

Energy pyramids are used to show the amount of energy at each trophic level. The producer
level always has the most energy. Each level above it has less energy, which is why the diagram
is shaped like a pyramid. Most energy pyramids have three or four trophic levels.

Energy is measured in kilojoules (kJ). Large amounts of energy are available at the producer
level, but much smaller amounts are passed on to herbivores and even less to carnivores. This
shows that energy is lost at each step in a food chain.

Balance in an Ecosystem – Notes Summary

An ecosystem is made up of living organisms and the environment that supports them. There is
a fine balance between organisms and their environment. The number of organisms that an
ecosystem can support depends on the available resources. These resources include food,
water and shelter.

When resources are plentiful, the ecosystem can support many individuals and large
populations. When resources are limited, fewer organisms can survive and population sizes
decrease.

If food is in short supply, organisms compete with one another. The stronger organisms are
more likely to survive. When food becomes available again, more organisms survive and
populations increase. In this way, the ecosystem maintains balance.

All organisms in an ecosystem are connected. A change in one population affects the whole
community. For example, if the number of mice increases because there is more food, the
number of owls that feed on mice will also increase. If the mouse population decreases, the owl
population will also decrease. This shows the balance between predators and prey. If this
balance is disturbed for a long time, the ecosystem may fail.

Factors That Disrupt the Balance

The balance in an ecosystem can be disrupted by natural factors and human factors.

Natural Factors

A disruption is something that interferes with the normal functioning of an ecosystem. If the
disruption is short-term, the ecosystem may recover. However, if the disruption is severe or lasts
a long time, the ecosystem may not recover completely and some species may become extinct.

Natural disruptions include fires, droughts, floods, changes in weather patterns and sudden
temperature changes. These events can destroy habitats and reduce populations of plants and
animals.

Human Factors

Human activities can also disrupt the balance in ecosystems.

Pollution

Pollution occurs when harmful or poisonous substances are released into the environment.
These substances are usually produced by human activities.

Examples of pollutants include household waste, plastics, toxic chemicals from factories, and
smoke and gases from burning fuels in power stations, factories and vehicles.

Fertilisers used by farmers contain nutrients that help crops grow. However, when excess
fertiliser is washed into rivers by rain, it pollutes the water and harms aquatic organisms.

Burning fossil fuels releases harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide into the air. These gases can
dissolve in rainwater and form acid rain. Acid rain damages crops, trees and buildings. It also
lowers the pH of rivers and lakes. Some fish and other aquatic organisms cannot survive in
water with a low pH, which reduces biodiversity.

Thermal pollution occurs when warm water from factories is released into rivers or when
vegetation along riverbanks is removed. An increase in water temperature reduces the amount
of oxygen dissolved in the water. This can cause the death of aquatic organisms and decrease
water quality.

Poaching
Poaching is the illegal removal of animals and plants from the wild. Many species are
threatened by poaching. Animals such as rhinos and elephants are killed for their horns and
tusks. Plants and marine species such as perlemoen are also illegally collected.

If poaching continues for a long time, species may become extinct. The removal of one species
affects the balance of the ecosystem. For example, if a herbivore species is removed, plant
populations may increase. If a carnivore species is removed, herbivore populations may
increase, which can lead to overgrazing and a decrease in plant populations.