Food Chains and Food Webs

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

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.

Front

What is a food web?

Back

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

Front

What is a producer?

Back

A producer is an organism, typically a plant or algae, that can make its own food through photosynthesis and serves as the base of the food chain.

Front

What is a primary consumer?

Back

A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers; they are usually herbivores that feed on plants.

Front

What is a secondary consumer?

Back

A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers; they can be carnivores or omnivores.

Front

What is a tertiary consumer?

Back

A tertiary consumer is an organism that eats secondary consumers; they are often top predators in the food chain.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

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

Front

How does energy flow in a food chain?

Back

Energy flows from producers to primary consumers, then to secondary consumers, and so on, with each level receiving less energy than the one before.

Front

What happens if a primary consumer is removed from a food web?

Back

If a primary consumer is removed, it can lead to an overpopulation of producers and a decrease in secondary consumers that rely on the primary consumer for food.

Front

What is an example of a food chain?

Back

Grass -> Grasshopper -> Frog -> Snake -> Hawk.