7th Grade Life Science

Ecology

1. Food provides the fuel and the building material for all organisms. Producers (plants) use the energy from light to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water. This food can be used immediately or stored for later use. Consumers (animals) that eat plants break down the plant structures to produce the materials and energy they need to survive. Then they are consumed by other organisms. Decomposers (bacterial and fungal) break down the dead bodies of both plants and animals. (AKSci - A.9, A.14a)

Examples of What Students Should Be Able to Do:

• Construct a generalized food web containing 10 or more Alaskan animals and plants.