{"id":27845,"date":"2025-10-17T07:29:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T07:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vividscience.org\/?page_id=27845"},"modified":"2025-10-24T21:51:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T21:51:17","slug":"functional-groups","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vividscience.org\/index.php\/online-envirobio\/interactions\/food-webs\/functional-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"5a1 Functional Groups"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Functional Groups <\/span>\n\n \n \n Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers <\/span>\n <\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Functional Groups Objectives<\/strong><\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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  • Describe the ecosystem roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Provide examples of organisms representing different functional groups.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Explain how flowers relate to fruit and seeds.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    Organisms can be classified based on their structures and\/or based on the role they play within an ecosystem.\u00a0 We previous met taxonomic classification; this page describes functional classification.<\/h5> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \n Taxonomic Classification <\/h3>\n
    \n This is the classification system based on structures and evolutionary relatedness. <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \n Functional Classification <\/h3>\n
    \n This is the role an organism plays in the ecosystem, including how it relates to other species. <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    An Oregon White oak tree (<\/em>Quercus garryana) <\/i><\/strong>is taxonomically classified in Domain Eukaryota, Kingdom Plantae, Phylum Angiosperm, Class (Clade) Dicot, Order Rosids, Family Fagaceae, Genus Quercus<\/em> and species garryana<\/em>.<\/h6>\n
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    Its functional classification is producer<\/strong>.<\/h6>\n

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    Functional Groups<\/h2> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    Now that we have some of the vocabulary, this video reviews these terms and provides an overview of food web concepts found throughout this guide.<\/strong><\/h6> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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