Food Chains and Webs

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

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

Producers are organisms that make their own food using sunlight, such as plants and algae.

Consumers eat other species and help keep their populations in balance.

Decomposers are organisms that break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil.

An example of a producer is a maple tree.

Herbivores are consumers that eat plants and are primary consumers in a food chain.

Carnivores are consumers that eat other animals and can be secondary or tertiary consumers.

Decomposers are important because they recycle nutrients back into the soil, making them available for plants.

If a producer is removed, it can disrupt the entire food chain, affecting all consumers that rely on it for food.