Food Chains and Food Webs

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What is a food chain?

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A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem, starting from producers to various levels of consumers.

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What is a food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains that illustrates how different organisms in an ecosystem are related through feeding relationships.

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What role do producers play in a food chain?

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Producers, such as plants, are organisms that create their own food through photosynthesis and serve as the primary energy source for all other organisms in the food chain.

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What is the primary source of energy in a food chain?

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The primary source of energy in a food chain is the sun, which provides energy for producers to create food.

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What happens to a food web if a key species is removed?

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Removing a key species can disrupt the balance of the food web, leading to population declines or increases in other species and potentially causing ecosystem instability.

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What is the significance of arrows in a food web diagram?

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Arrows in a food web diagram indicate the direction of energy flow from one organism to another, showing who eats whom.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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What is a consumer in a food chain?

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A consumer is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other organisms (plants or animals) to obtain energy.

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What is a primary consumer?

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A primary consumer is an herbivore that eats producers (plants) and is the first level of consumers in a food chain.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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What is a secondary consumer?

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A secondary consumer is a carnivore that eats primary consumers and is the second level of consumers in a food chain.

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What is a tertiary consumer?

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A tertiary consumer is a predator that eats secondary consumers and is typically at the top of the food chain.