Understanding Food Chains

What is a food chain?

• A food chain is a sequence of organisms where each is eaten by the next in the chain.

• A food chain is a diagram showing food prices in a market.

• A food chain is a type of cooking method.

• A food chain is a list of ingredients for a recipe.

Name the first link in a food chain.

• Herbivore

• Decomposer

• Carnivore

• Producer (e.g., plants)

What role do producers play in a food chain?

• Producers convert sunlight into energy and form the base of the food chain.

• Producers are consumers that eat plants.

• Producers are organisms that decompose organic matter.

• Producers rely on other organisms for energy.

Give an example of a primary consumer.

• rabbit

• snake

• hawk

• deer

What is a secondary consumer?

• An organism that produces its own food.

• An organism that eats plants.

• An organism that eats primary consumers.

• An organism that decomposes organic matter.

How do decomposers fit into a food chain?

• Decomposers recycle nutrients and complete the food chain by breaking down dead organisms.

• Decomposers are primary producers in the food chain.

• Decomposers are at the top of the food chain.

• Decomposers only consume living plants and animals.

Explain the term 'trophic level'.

• Trophic level indicates the age of an organism.

• Trophic level refers to the habitat where an organism lives.

• Trophic level is the total biomass of an ecosystem.

• Trophic level refers to the position an organism occupies in a food chain, defined by its role in energy transfer.

What happens if one species in a food chain is removed?

• The food chain will remain unaffected and continue as normal.

• All species will thrive without competition from the removed species.

• The removed species will quickly be replaced by another species.

• The ecosystem may become unbalanced, leading to overpopulation or extinction of other species.

Why are food chains important for ecosystems?

• Food chains are solely based on plant growth.

• Food chains have no impact on the environment.

• Food chains are only important for human consumption.

• Food chains are important for ecosystems because they demonstrate the interdependence of organisms and the flow of energy and nutrients.

Describe how energy flows through a food chain.

• Energy is recycled within the same level of consumers.

• Energy flows from producers to consumers and then to decomposers in a food chain.

• Decomposers are the primary source of energy in a food chain.

• Energy flows only from consumers to producers.