Scavengers in the Food Web | Gross or Incredible?

Have you ever wondered where all the “leftovers” go when an organism dies? Thanks to decomposers much of the remaining biomass gets broken down back into the food web. But, It seems like a BIG job for such SMALL microbes, fungi and invertebrates to handle. Is there a sort-of “middle-man” to help lend a hand? Let’s find out together in THIS episode all about Scavengers!

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IN THIS EPISODE:
-Scavengers in the Food Web
-Why Scavenge?
-Types of Scavengers
-Scavenging Animals

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SCIENCE STANDARDS:
NGSS
5-LS2-1
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. Emphasis is on the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth. Assessment does not include molecular explanations.
MS-LS2-2
Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems. Emphasis is on predicting consistent patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between organisms and abiotic components of ecosystems. Examples of types of interactions could include competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial.
MS-LS2-3
Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Emphasis is on describing the conservation of matter and flow of energy into and out of various ecosystems, and on defining the boundaries of the system. Assessment does not include the use of chemical reactions to describe the processes.

TEKS
SCIENCE.4.12.B
Organisms and environments. The student describes patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships within environments. The student is expected to: describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers
SCIENCE.5.13.B
Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures and behaviors that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: explain how instinctual behavioral traits such as turtle hatchlings returning to the sea and learned behavioral traits such as orcas hunting in packs increase chances of survival.
SCIENCE.5.12.A
Organisms and environments. The student describes patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships within environments. The student is expected to: observe and describe how a variety of organisms survive by interacting with biotic and abiotic factors in a healthy ecosystem;
SCIENCE.7.12.B
Organisms and environments. The student understands that ecosystems are dependent upon the cycling of matter and the flow of energy. The student is expected to: describe how ecosystems are sustained by the continuous flow of energy and the recycling of matter and nutrients within the biosphere.
SCIENCE.BIO.13.B
Science concepts. Interdependence within environmental systems. The student knows that interactions at various levels of organization occur within an ecosystem to maintain stability. The student is expected to: analyze how ecosystem stability is affected by disruptions to the cycling of matter and flow of energy through trophic levels using models
SCIENCE.BIO.13.A
Science concepts. Interdependence within environmental systems. The student knows that interactions at various levels of organization occur within an ecosystem to maintain stability. The student is expected to: investigate and evaluate how ecological relationships, including predation, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism, and competition, influence ecosystem stability;
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