A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun during its journey around Earth.
When a solar eclipse occurs, strange things sometimes happen on Earth. At mid-day, the sky
appears to be darkened. Animals such as birds are sometimes tricked
into thinking that it is night time, and so they go to sleep!
What would happen to life on Earth if the Sun
suddenly disappeared?
Photosynthesis: Plants making their own food.
All living
things must eat or manufacture food to stay alive. Where does that
food come from? For almost all organisms on the planet, food comes
from the Sun, either directly or indirectly. There are two basic ways
that living things get their energy from the Sun. Plants and algae
produce their own food by a process known as photosynthesis. During
photosynthesis, chlorophyll, the pigment that makes plants green,
converts the Sun's light into food for plants so that they can grow.
Humans and other animals eat plants to get energy to stay alive. Even
when humans eat animal flesh (meat) such as beef, they are consuming
part of an animal that ate plants in order to grow and stay
alive.
Organisms that make their own food are called PRODUCERS because
they produce food for the rest of the organisms on the planet.
Examples are plants, algae, and certain types of bacteria known as
blue-green bacteria.
Organisms that eat producers (and only producers) are called first
order consumers.
Organisms that eat producers and first order consumers are called
second order consumers.
What would a third order consumer eat?
What do you think would happen to the producers if the Sun
disappeared?
To the consumers? Why?
Plants make their own food. (from the Newton's Apple web site).