Ecosystems
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 2.1.1
Organisms in Ecosystems
Ecosystems are made up of living and non-living things in a specific area. The organisms in ecosystems can be classified based on their roles:
Producers
- Producers use light energy from the Sun to make their own food.
Consumers
- Consumers can't make their own food. Instead, they get their energy by consuming other organisms (producers or other consumers).
Decomposers
- Decomposers (e.g. bacteria, fungi) recycle organic matter within an ecosystem. They're crucial for the ecosystem function of nutrient cycling:
- Through decomposition, nutrients are put back into the soil.
- Plants take up these nutrients as food. These plants may go on to be eaten by consumers.
- When plants or consumers die, the nutrients are returned to the soil.
Test yourself on Ecosystems
Organisms in Ecosystems
Nutrient Cycling
Plants and consumers take up nutrients from the soil. What happens to return these nutrients back to the soil?