FOOD CHAIN

AND
FOOD WEB
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
 INTRODUCTION
• IN SCIENTIFIC TERMS, A FOOD CHAIN IS A
CHRONOLOGICAL PATHWAY OR AN ORDER THAT
SHOWS THE FLOW OF ENERGY FROM ONE
ORGANISM TO THE OTHER. MANY
INTERCONNECTED FOOD CHAINS MAKE UP A
FOOD WEB. IT SHOWS A REALISTIC
REPRESENTATION OF THE ENERGY FLOW
THROUGH DIFFERENT ORGANISM IN AN
 HISTORY
• FOOD CHAINS WERE FIRST INTRODUCED BY THE
AFRICAN-ARAB SCIENTIST AND PHILOSOPHER AL-
JAHIZ IN THE 9TH CENTURY AND LATER POPULARIZED
IN A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1927 BY CHARLES ELTON,
WHICH ALSO INTRODUCED THE FOOD WEB CONCEPT.
 CHARLES SUTHERLAND
AL-JAHIZ ELTON
 IMPORTANT FACTS

• IN A FOOD CHAIN EACH ORGANISM OBTAINS

ENERGY FROM THE ONE AT THE LEVEL BELOW.
• PLANTS ARE CALLED PRODUCERS BECAUSE THEY
CREATE THEIR OWN FOOD THROUGH
PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
• ANIMALS ARE CONSUMERS BECAUSE THEY
CANNOT CREATE ANIMALS TO GET THE ENERGY
 TYPES OF FOOD CHAIN

MAINLY TWO TYPES OF FOOD CHAIN

1. GRAZING FOOD CHAIN
a) PREDATOR CHAIN
b) PARASITIC CHAIN

2. DETRITUS FOOD CHAIN

 WHAT IS THE GRAZING FOOD CHAIN?
• THE TYPE OF FOOD CHAIN IN WHICH THE ENERGY IN THE GAINED
FROM PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS TERMED AS A GRAZING CHAIN. IN THIS
FOOD CHAIN THE STARTING POINT ARE THE PRODUCERS – PLANTS
AND THE ENERGY TRANSFER IS FROM PLANTS TO HERBIVORES.
• BASED ON THE SEQUENCE OF ORGANISMS, GRAZING FOOD CHAIN
IS FURTHER CLASSIFIED INTO TWO DIFFERENT TYPES:
1. PREDATOR CHAIN- THE SEQUENCE OF ORGANISMS GENERALLY INCREASES
IN SIZE.

2. PARASITIC CHAIN- THE SEQUENCE OF ORGANISMS GENERALLY DECREASE

IN SIZE.
 WHAT IS THE DETRITUS FOOD CHAIN?

THE DETRITUS FOOD CHAIN BEGINS WITH DEAD ORGANIC MATERIALS. DEAD
ORGANIC MATTER AND THE ORGANISM FEEDING ON THE DEAD AND DECAYING
MATTER ARE REFERRED TO AS DETRITIVORES OR DECOMPOSERS.
STARTS WITH THE DEAD ORGANIC WASTES. WHEN THESE WASTES ARE CONSUMED
BY MICROORGANISM LIKE BACTERIA OR FUNGI. LATER, THESE MICROSCOPIC
ORGANISMS ARE CONSUMED BY OTHER DETRITIVORE ORGANISM LIKE SNAILS,
EARTHWORMS AND SO ON.

• DEAD ORGANIC WASTES MICRO ORGANISMS DETRITIVORE ORGANISMS

 TROPHIC LEVELS
THE TROPHIC LEVEL OF AN ORGANISM IS THE POSITION IT OCCUPIES IN A FOOD
WEB. A FOOD CHAIN IS SUCCESSION OF ORGANISMS THAT EAT OTHER
ORGANISMS AND MAY, IN TURN BE EATEN THEMSELVES. THE TROPHIC LEVEL OF
AN ORGANISM IS THE NUMBER OF STEPS IT IS FROM THE START OF THE CHAIN. IT
ILLUSTRATES THE FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF SPECIES.

MAINLY THREE TROPHIC LEVELS IN FOOD CHAIN:

1. PRODUCER
2. CONSUMER
3. DECOMPOSER
 PRODUCERS

PRODUCERS MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD.

GREEN PLANTS USE ENERGY FROM
THE SUN TO PREPARE FOOD.
PRODUCERS ARE ON THE BOTTOM
OF FOOD CHAIN.
 CONSUMERS

ORGANISM THAT DO NOT MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD.

ANOTHER TERM FOR HETEROTROPH IS CONSUMER BECAUSE THEY
CONSUME OTHER ORGANISMS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE OR LIVE.

MAINLY THREE TYPES OF CONSUMERS:

i. HERBIVORES
ii. CARNIVORES
iii. OMNIVORES
 THREE TYPES OF CONSUMERS
HERBIVORES CARNIVORES OMNIVORES
 ARE ANIMALS THAT EAT ONLY  ARE ANIMALS THAT EAT ONLY  ARE ANIMALS THAT EAT BOTH
PLANTS. MEATS. MEAT AND PLANTS.
 DECOMPOSERS
MICRO ORGANISMS THAT ARE ABLE TO BREAK DOWN LARGE
MOLECULES INTO SMALLER PARTS.
DECOMPOSERS RETURN THE NUTRIENTS THAT ARE IN A LIVING
THING TO THE SOIL.
SUNLIGHT
 FOOD WEB

• A NUMBER OF FOOD CHAINS FORM A

INTERLINKING PATTERN FORMING A
WEB LIKE ARRANGEMENT KNOWN
AS FOOD WEB.
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
THE PYRAMIDAL REPRESENTATION OF TROPHIC LEVELS DIFFERENT
ORGANISMS BASED ON THEIR ECOLOGICAL POSITION (PRODUCER
TO FINAL CONSUMER) IS CALLED AS AN ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS.

THREE TYPES OF PYRAMIDS:

1. PYRAMID OF NUMBER
2. PYRAMID OF BIOMASS
3. PYRAMID OF ENERGY
 PYRAMID OF NUMBER
A CONCEPT IN ECOLOGY: AN ORGANISM FORMING THE BASE OF A FOOD CHAIN IS
NUMERICALLY VERY ABUNDANT EACH SUCCEEDING MEMBER OF THE CHAIN
BEING REPRESENTED BY SUCCESSIVELY FEWER INDIVIDUALS AND THE FINAL
LARGE PREDATOR BEING ALWAYS NUMERICALLY RARE.
 PYRAMID OF BIOMASS
BIOMASS IS CALCULATED AS THE MASS OF LIVING ORGANISMS PRESENT AT EACH
TROPHIC LEVEL IN A GIVEN SAMPLE SIZE. IT CAN BE REPRESENTED AS DRY
WEIGHT IN GRAMS OR CALORIES PER UNIT AREA.
 PYRAMID OF ENERGY
A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE ENERGY FOUND WITHIN THE TROPHIC
LEVELS OF AN ECOSYSTEM. THE BOTTOM AND LARGEST LEVEL OF THE PYRAMID
IS THE PRODUCERS AND CONTAINS THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF ENERGY.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!

DISCUSSANTS:
HELEYNA KAYLA ARCE
DANIELA ESPLANA