The Food Chain: Who Eats Who in the Wild

Which BEST describes why autotrophs begin every food chain?

• There are more of them than primary consumers

• They are the only trophic level that can use the sun's energy to create glucose.

• They get their nutrients from detritivores and decomposers.

• They can reproduce faster than consumers.

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Which paragraph from the article is BEST illustrated by Image 2?

• For example, grass produces its own food from sunlight. A rabbit eats the grass, then a fox eats the rabbit. When the fox dies, bacteria break down its body, returning it to the soil where it provides nutrients for plants, like grass.

• In one marine food chain, single-celled organisms called phytoplankton provide food for tiny shrimp called krill. Krill provide the main food source for the blue whale, an animal on the third trophic level.

• In a grassland ecosystem, a grasshopper might eat grass, a producer. The grasshopper might get eaten by a rat, which in turn is consumed by a snake. Finally, a hawk — an apex predator — swoops down and snatches up the snake.

• In a pond, the autotroph might be algae. A mosquito larva eats the algae, and then perhaps a dragonfly larva eats the young mosquito. The dragonfly larva becomes food for a fish, which provides a tasty meal for a raccoon.

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Which animal in a pond food chain would be on the same trophic level as a snake in a grassland ecosystem?

• algae

• mosquito larva

• fish

• racoon

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How does Image 1 develop an understanding of trophic levels?

• It shows a detritivore consuming animal remains.

• It shows a consumer eating a producer.

• It shows a producer making its own food.

• It shows a carnivore eating a consumer.

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Which is an example of an apex predator?

• lion

• giraffe

• mouse

• fox

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How does the author build an understanding of food chains?

• by describing the categories of organisms found within food chains and then giving examples of food chains

• by describing how individual food chains work and then giving examples of complex food webs within ecosystems

• by showing the reader how each trophic level in a food chain works, starting with the "top" of the food chain

• by showing the reader how food webs can be disrupted if food chains do not work properly

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How are food webs more complex than food chains?

• Food webs are found in more ecosystems than food chains.

• Food webs are made of many food chains.

• Decomposers are only found in food webs, not in food chains.

• Food chains are made of many food webs.

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Which sentence from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3] introduces a primary consumer to the reader?

• Every living thing — from one-celled algae to giant blue whales — needs food to survive.

• For example, grass produces its own food from sunlight.

• A rabbit eats the grass, then a fox eats the rabbit.

• When the fox dies, bacteria break down its body, returning it to the soil where it provides nutrients for plants, like grass

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