Food Chain Questions

What is the role of a producer in a food chain?

• To eat other animals

• To make their own food using sunlight

• To break down dead plants and animals

• To hunt for food

Answer explanation

Producers, like plants, make their own food using sunlight through photosynthesis. This process is essential in a food chain as it provides energy for consumers and decomposers.

What do herbivores eat?

• Plants

• Other animals

• Decomposers

• Sunlight

Answer explanation

Herbivores are animals that primarily eat plants. They rely on various plant materials, such as leaves, stems, and roots, for their nutrition, unlike carnivores that eat other animals or decomposers that break down organic matter.

Which of the following is an example of a decomposer?

• Lion

• Grasshopper

• Fungi

• Rabbit

Answer explanation

Fungi are decomposers that break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil. In contrast, lions, grasshoppers, and rabbits are consumers that rely on other organisms for food.

In a food chain, which organism would most likely be at the top?

• Producer

• Herbivore

• Carnivore

• Decomposer

Answer explanation

In a food chain, carnivores are at the top as they are the primary consumers of herbivores and do not have natural predators. Producers create energy, herbivores consume plants, and decomposers break down organic matter, but carnivores dominate the chain.

What is a food chain?

• A) A list of animals in a forest

• B) A group of animals that live together

• C) A series of organisms, each dependent on the next as a source of food

• D) A plant that provides food for people

Answer explanation

A food chain illustrates how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem, showing a series of organisms where each is a food source for the next. Thus, option C correctly defines a food chain.

Which organism in a food chain would most likely be eaten by a predator?

• Producer

• Primary consumer

• Secondary consumer

• Decomposer

Answer explanation

In a food chain, primary consumers are herbivores that eat producers. They are typically preyed upon by secondary consumers, making them the most likely to be eaten by a predator.

Which of the following is an example of a secondary consumer?

• Mouse eating a seed

• Frog eating an insect

• Eagle eating a rabbit

• Grass growing in a field

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'Eagle eating a rabbit' because it represents a secondary consumer, which feeds on primary consumers (like rabbits). The mouse and grass are primary producers or consumers, while the frog is also a primary consumer.

What happens when an organism is removed from a food chain?

• The food chain remains the same

• Other organisms may struggle to find food

• The environment stays unchanged

• All other organisms disappear

Answer explanation

When an organism is removed from a food chain, it disrupts the balance, causing other organisms to struggle to find food. This can lead to population declines or changes in the ecosystem.

What is an example of a predator?

• Cow

• Lion

• Tree

• Grasshopper

Answer explanation

A lion is a predator, meaning it hunts and feeds on other animals for survival. In contrast, a cow is a herbivore, a tree is a plant, and a grasshopper is an insect that can be both herbivorous and predatory, but not primarily a predator.

Which of the following organisms is a primary consumer?

• Rabbit

• Fox

• Deer

• Grass

Answer explanation

A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers. Rabbits are herbivores that feed on plants, making them primary consumers. Foxes are secondary consumers as they eat primary consumers, and grass is a producer.