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 in an ecosystem, illustrating how different organisms are related through feeding relationships.

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What are producers?

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Producers are organisms, like plants, that can make their own food through photosynthesis, serving as the base of the food chain.

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What are consumers?

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Consumers are organisms that cannot produce their own food and must eat other organisms for energy. They can be classified as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores.

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What are decomposers?

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Decomposers are organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, that break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and completing the nutrient cycle.

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What is the role of sunlight in a food chain?

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Sunlight provides the energy necessary for producers to create food through photosynthesis, which is the starting point of all food chains.

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What is a herbivore?

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A herbivore is a type of consumer that primarily eats plants and other producers.

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What is a carnivore?

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A carnivore is a type of consumer that primarily eats other animals.

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What is an omnivore?

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An omnivore is a consumer that eats both plants and animals.

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How does energy flow in a food chain?

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Energy flows from the sun to producers, then to primary consumers, and subsequently to higher-level consumers, with energy decreasing at each trophic level.