What is a Food Chain?
A food chain shows how different organisms in an ecosystem depend on each other for food. It is a single path of energy flow in an ecosystem.
- Producers: The food chain starts with producers that make their own food. Plants and algae produce their food through photosynthesis.
- Primary Consumers: Animals that eat plants for food are called primary consumers. They are also known as herbivores — examples are cows, deer, rabbis, and grasshoppers.
- Secondary Consumers: Animals that eat other animals are called secondary consumers. They can be carnivores (eat animals) or omnivores (eat animals and plants) — examples are frogs, lizards, birds, fish, and foxes.
- Apex Predators: An animal that sits at the top of the food chain. Examples: Humans, owls, bears, and lions.
- Decomposers/Detritivores: They are the final link in the food chain. They feed on dead or decaying plant and animal matter and convert them into nutrients.
What is a Food Web
A food web is a group of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem.
- Most organisms feed on and are consumed by more than one type of organism, so different food chains interact with each other.
- A food web is organized into different trophic levels, with the producers at the bottom, followed by the primary and secondary consumers.
- Energy is transferred through the food web as organisms eat and are eaten by other organisms.
- Food webs help to maintain balance and stability in an ecosystem.
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting facts about food chains and food webs:
- A single-cell organism called Euglena is both a producer and a consumer that feeds on other microorganisms.
- Tiny organisms called plankton are the producers of ocean food chains.
- Apex predators like lions and sharks have no natural predators. They help control the population of many species.
- Animals that migrate long distances find different food sources during their journey and participate in various food chains
Review
Let’s quickly recap what we learned about food chains and food webs:
- What is the starting point of a food chain? Producers
- What are animals that eat producers called? Primary Consumers
- What are animals that eat other animals called? Secondary Consumers
- What are animals at the top of a food chain with no natural predators called? Apex Predators
- What is the final link in a food chain? Decomposers/Detritivores
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