Food Chains and Food Webs

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What is a producer in a food chain?

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A producer is an organism that can make its own food, typically through photosynthesis, such as plants.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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What is a primary consumer?

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A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers. Examples include herbivores like rabbits and grasshoppers.

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What is a secondary consumer?

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A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers. Examples include carnivores like coyotes.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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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.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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What is a food web?

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

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NGSS.MS-LS2-2

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What happens to energy as it moves up the food chain?

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Energy availability decreases as it moves up the food chain due to energy loss at each trophic level.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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What is a trophic level?

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A trophic level is a position in a food chain or food web, defined by how an organism obtains its energy.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and making them available for producers.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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Give an example of a producer in a grassland ecosystem.

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Grass is an example of a producer in a grassland ecosystem.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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What is the difference between a herbivore and a carnivore?

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Herbivores eat plants (producers), while carnivores eat other animals (consumers).