CONNECT

A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Making up these healthy ecosystems are different types of living and non-living factors, such as plants, animals, rocks, water, air, sunlight, and more! For example, ecosystems contain producers, or organisms who get the energy they need to grow and survive by making their own food using sunlight, water and air. There are also consumers who are organisms that get their energy by directly consuming other organisms, such as producers and/or other consumers. Additionally, there are even decomposers, organisms such as bacteria and fungi, who get their energy from breaking down dead or decaying matter and in turn, recycle the nutrients back into the environment. This cycling of energy and flow of matter keeps an ecosystem healthy and stable. In this lesson, students will engage in an outdoor investigation in order to construct a model that shows the cycling of matter and the flow of energy in an ecosystem.