Energy Flow In Ecosystems

This week our assignment was to photograph a schoolyard food chain.  Once again I headed to the outdoor classroom to see what I could find on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

Producer

I am beginning my food chain with a producer.  Producers capture solar energy and transform it into stored energy in a process called photosynthesis.

 

Primary Consumer 

My primary consumer is a cricket.  Crickets are omnivores and scavengers feeding on organic materials, as well as decaying plant material, fungi, and seedling plants.

 

Secondary Consumer 

My secondary consumer is a box turtle. Young box turtles eat mostly earthworms and insects (including crickets), but adults tend to be more vegetarian, eating a variety of plants, berries and mushrooms.

Photographs were taken on October 19, 2013 in Truman’s Outdoor Classroom.  It was a beautiful cool and sunny fall day in the Ozarks. I was a little surprised to find the box turtle out and about.  Finding the cricket was a challenge.  I was turning over pieces of wood when I found the cricket.  I snapped the photo and then gently returned the piece of wood.  I also found a worm and some rolly polly bugs.   

I also created an aquatic food chain.  I will post it another time.  

I hope you enjoy my simple food chain.  Take your camera and get out there to see what you can find.  The colors are beautiful and the weather is fine.

Thanks for stopping by.