Changes in Food Webs

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow between different organisms.

Front

What are producers in a food web?

Back

Producers are organisms, like plants, that create their own food through photosynthesis and serve as the base of the food web.

Front

What are primary consumers?

Back

Primary consumers are herbivores that eat producers (plants) in a food web.

Front

What are secondary consumers?

Back

Secondary consumers are organisms that eat primary consumers; they can be carnivores or omnivores.

Front

What happens when a predator population decreases?

Back

When a predator population decreases, the population of its prey may increase, leading to potential overpopulation and resource depletion.

Front

What is the role of decomposers in a food web?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and supporting the growth of producers.

Front

How does the removal of a key species affect a food web?

Back

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

Front

What is an example of a primary consumer?

Back

An example of a primary consumer is a grasshopper, which eats plants.

Front

What is an example of a secondary consumer?

Back

An example of a secondary consumer is a frog, which eats insects like grasshoppers.

Front

What is the impact of insecticides on food webs?

Back

Insecticides can reduce the population of certain insects, which can lead to increases in plant populations and decreases in populations of animals that rely on those insects for food.