Food Chains and Webs - "What's for dinner?

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Ecological Terms

1. State which ecological term matches the descriptions below.

(a). A group of organisms of the same species living in a particular area eg.
grasshoppers in a field. __________________________________________

(b). Several populations living together eg. all the population of teachers and
all the population of students at IRWIN HIGH SCHOOL. _____________

(c). The conditions the habitat is found in eg. climatic conditions such as
temperature and rainfall. _________________________________________

(c). Interconnection between the abiotic and biotic factors in an environment

eg worms in soil. _______________________________________________

(d). The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism

eg. nest. ______________________________________________________

Food Chain

2. Complete the sentences below using the most appropriate words.

Every organism needs to obtain energy to live. For example, plants get
energy from the sun, some animals eat plants, and some animals eat other
animals.

A ________ is the sequence which shows a _________ relationship in a

biological community (an ecosystem) to obtain nutrition. A food chain starts

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with the plant or ________ which usually captures _____ from the _____or
boiling-hot deep sea vents to make food during the process of_________.

Other organisms (chemoautotrophs) such as bacteria can make their food/

energy from chemicals in hydrothermal vents. These are called _______ or
primary producers.

Hydrothermal Vent

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3. Complete the table regarding types of food chain.

Types of Food Chain

Trophic Level Terrestrial Food Aquatic Food Chain

Chain

Freshwater Seawater

_____A_____ Grass Algae Phytoplankton

Primary
Consumer _____B_______ Mosquito Larva ______C____

_____D_____ Rat Dragonfly Larva Fish

____E_____ Snake _____F______ Seal

Quaternary
Consumer Hawk Racoon White Shark

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 4. Complete the sentences using the most appropriate words.

When the energy is produces after photosynthesis, it is _______ in the plant as

________. Next come organisms that eat the plants (autotrophs); these organisms
are called __________ /primary consumers -- an example is a rabbit that eats
grass. The next link in the chain is animals that eat the primary consumers, these
are called __________ /secondary consumers -- an example is a snake that eats
rabbits. In turn, these animals are eaten by larger predators-- an example is an
owl that eats snakes. The tertiary consumers are eaten by quaternary
consumers -- an example is a hawk that eats owls. Each food chain ends with a
top predator and animal with no natural enemies (like an alligator, hawk, or
polar bear).

Extended

1. What travels through a food chain or web?

2. What is the ultimate energy for all life on Earth?

3. Food chains start with what?

4. The 1st organism in a food chain must always be what type of organism?

5. Name TWO food making processes in a food.

6. Where do chemosynthetic bacteria get their energy?

7. Define herbivore.

8. Herbivores are also called _________________________.

9. What are animals called that feed on herbivores?

10.Secondary consumers are eaten by larger ________________.

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 Food Web

The arrows in a food chain show the flow of

energy, from the sun or hydrothermal vent
to a top predator. As the energy flows from
organism to organism, energy is lost at each
step. A network of many food chains is
called a food web.

1. Complete the sentences using the appropriate words.

A food web consists of many _________ interconnected in an ecosystem. The

food web has more than one _________ and consumers. When any organism
dies, it is eventually eaten by _______ (like vultures, worms and crabs) and
broken down by _________ (mostly bacteria and fungi), and the exchange of
energy continues.

Some organisms' position in the food chain can function as _________,

__________ or ________. For example, when a bear eats berries, the bear is
functioning as a primary consumer. When a bear eats a plant-eating rodent,

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the bear is functioning as a secondary consumer. When the bear eats salmon,
the bear is functioning as a tertiary consumer (this is because salmon is a
secondary consumer, since salmon eat herring that eat zooplankton that eat
phytoplankton, that make their own energy from sunlight).

2. The diagram below shows a terrestrial food web.

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 (a). Identify the TWO producers AND THREE consumers in the food web.

(b). At what tropic levels are the:

(i). Salamander

(ii). Fox?

(c). Explain why energy level decreases as you go up the food web.

(d). Identify as many food chains present in the above food web.

Extended

1. What is used to indicate the flow of energy in a food chain or web?

2. What is meant by trophic levels?

3. Define autotroph.

4. The 1st trophic level consists of _______________ consumers called

_________________.

5. Name the 2nd trophic level (both names).

6. Secondary consumers may be _______________ eating meat or

_______________ that eat both plants and animals.

7. Give an example of 3 detrivores.

8. What organism feeds on dead plants and animals and helps recycle them?

Ecological Pyramids

An ecological pyramid is a graphical representation of the relationship between

different organisms in an ecosystem.

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 1. In an ecological pyramid, explain what happens to energy, biomass and # of
species as you move up.

2. What is biomass?

3. In an ecosystem, can there be more carnivores than herbivores? Explain

why or why not

4. . What is the 10% rule? How is energy lost?

5. Identify the following on ecological pyramid below: producers, tertiary

consumer, secondary consumer, autotroph, heterotroph, primary consumer,
decomposers, hawk, grass, chicken, grasshopper.

E
B

D
A: ___________________________________
B: ___________________________________
C: ___________________________________
D: ___________________________________
E: ___________________________________