The Players: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers
As we’ve discussed, some species produce energy, some obtain energy by consuming others, and some get their energy at the cellular level by breaking down dead organisms and animal wastes.
Watch this video, which invites you to explore an underwater ecosystem and learn about the roles producers, consumers, and decomposers play in transferring energy through a coral reef. After you watch, try the Arrange It activity.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
Video: Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem
Let’s take the information and ideas from this video to support a modeling activity you could use with your students. First, you’ll sort each member of the coral reef ecosystem according to the role it plays. Then, you’ll apply your understanding of this concept to another ecosystem you know.
