This lesson will review the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs, and show how both play important roles in a food web. It is 3 of 4 in the series titled "Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs."

This unit shows how ecosystems change over time and how matter and energy, which are essential to its operation, are transformed and passed from one living thing to another forming, in some cases, authentic cycles. It contains 19...

Read to understand how energy and inorganic nutrients flow through a food chain in an ecosystem.

Explains what is meant by a tertiary consumer in a food chain and provides examples.

In this lesson, 4th graders explore animals and plants that inhabit ecosystems by using movement to deepen the retention of vocabulary. After reviewing the ecosystem players, students will play a call and response game by responding with...

See how combining yeast, sugar, and water can demonstrate the carbon cycle and show how microorganisms work in the food chain.

Read a brief history of the use of DDT in the United States, its effect on wildlife, and the banning of the toxin in 1972 by the EPA.

A colorful tutorial about ecological pyramids. Read the information, and then check your understanding with some questions and answers about the topic.

Join Ellen on her trip to the Kaap De Goede Hoop in South Africa, and learn more about plants, animals, and energy.

Learn about ecosystems, how they work, codependency, and food chains.

An ecosystem is composed of biotic factors of a community of living organisms interacting with one another which we can see in food chains/webs. These diverse organisms stay together because of the need of food. Population is referred to...

How are animals and plants linked? What is the difference between a producer and consumer? How is a predator different from prey? Take this food chain quiz to find out the answers to these questions and more. Links allow you to convert...

This is a teacher's guide to a lesson on ecosystems. The objective is for the students to set up their own ecosystem and define the roles of producers, consumers and scavengers.

A comprehensive ecology learning module where students assess the dependence of all organisms on one another and the flow of energy and matter within their ecosystems.

Biological magnification is the term used to described the increasing accumulation of substances in organisms as one looks at higher trophic levels in a food chain. When that substance is a toxin, such as a heavy metal or a pesticide,...

This colorful site examines the food chain and delves into an explanation of what producers are and where they fit in an overall ecosystem.

Read and fill in the blanks of this passage explaining who eats what. Each blank has a dropdown menu with choices. When you finish, click CHECK MY ANSWERS. If you pick a wrong answer, the right answer will be displayed along with your...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Understand how energy flows within ecosystems through the use of energy pyramids.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] About 10,000 bird species belong to 29 different orders within the class Aves. The diversity among birds is striking. Birds can vary greatly in size and color. Some...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes how energy is transfered from one organism to another.

[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about some animals who have to learn to share their space around the pond. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

In this tutorial, Bill Nye explains how to catch planeria, small carnivorous worms that live in ponds. In addition, he explains their role in the environment.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes how energy is transfered from one organism to another.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Energy is the ability to do work. In organisms, this can be physical work, like walking or jumping, or it can be the work used to carry out the chemical processes in...