All plants and animals need food which provides the energy they need to live.

Green plants make their own food. They use the energy from the sun to make their own food. Some of this food is used, and some is stored in the roots, stems, and leaves. Plants are called producers (they make/produce their own food by photosynthesis.) Animals cannot make their own food. Animals get their energy and biomass by consuming (eating) other organisms. All animals are consumers ( they consume/eat)

What is a Food Chain?

All living things need food to give them the energy to grow and move. A food chain shows how each living thing gets its food. It shows who is eating who. The arrow means "is eaten by" .

Grass

Grasshopper

Toad

Snake

Hawk

Grass is eaten by Grasshopper is eaten by Toad is eaten by Snake is eaten by Hawk

A food chain always starts with a green plant ... (All plants are PRODUCERS.) ...... which is eaten by an animal. ( All the animals in a food chain are CONSUMERS) DECOMPOSERS are organisms that break down dead animal and plant Materials into simpler substances which can be used again by green plants. Examples of decomposers are bacteria and fungi.

Producer

Primary consumer

Scondary consumer

Tertiary consumer

Nutrients

Decomposer

Question 1

Here is a food chain you might find in the country.

The soil provides food for the ? provides food for the bird

Click on the picture below that you think is the correct link in the chain.

WELL DONE -YOU ARE CORRECT You have scored 10%. 10%

SOIL provides food for the worm

The worm provides food for the bird

Question 2

Here is another food chain you might find in the country.

the squirrel is eaten by the eagle

Eaten by the squirrel

Click below on the producer that starts the food chain shown above.

Fox

Bird

Acorn

Rabbit

Question 3 Click on the end consumer in this chain?

Fruit

provides food for the mouse.

Mouse

the mouse provides food for

CORRECT
You have scored 20%. 20% 10%

Acorns are eaten by the squirrel.

Squirrel is eaten by the eagle.

Predator

CORRE CT You have now scored 30%. 30% 20% 10%

Owl Fruit eaten by mouse Mouse mouse eaten by owl.

What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?

A food web consists of many food chains. A food chain only follows just one path as animals find food. eg: A hawk eats a snake, which has eaten a frog, which has eaten a grasshopper, which has eaten grass. A food web shows the many different paths plants and animals are connected. eg: A hawk might also eat a mouse, a squirrel, a frog or some other animal. The snake may eat a beetle, a caterpillar, or some other animal. And so on for all the other animals in the food chain. A food web is several food chains connected together

The above energy pyramid shows many trees & shrubs providing food and energy to giraffes. There are fewer giraffes than trees & shrubs and even fewer lions than giraffes ... as we go further along a food chain, there are fewer and fewer consumers. In other words, a large mass of living things at the base is required to support a few at the top ... many herbivores are needed to support a few carnivores

Tertiary Consumer Secondary Consumer ( carnivores ) Primary Consumer

6 67

(Herbivores ) 1478 PRODUCERS 8863

Construct a food web 1. The box below shows a list o organisms that feed on one another in a paddy field ecosystem. Paddy plant Rat Grasshopper Frog Bird Bacteria and fungi Caterpillar Snake

2. From the list , form four different food chains. 3. Construct a food web that consists of the four food chains you have just formed. 4. Identify the producer , consumers and decomposers in your food web. 5. Use one of food chains formed to construct a pyramid of numbers.