LESSON 20:

Feeding Relationships in an Intertidal

Zone and Estuarine Ecosystem
 LET’S TRY
Look at the pictures of grass, grasshopper, toad,
snake, and hawk that your teacher will present.
Arrange the pictures of which should come first,
second, third and fourth. Try to explain your
answer.
 ? IMPORTANT QUESTION
What are the feeding relationships in an
ecocsytem?
The Earth is a huge ecosystem that consists of
living and nonliving factors. Of all the nonliving
factors, the most important is the light from the
sun. The light from the sun is the source of energy
for the whole ecosystem. The energy is passed
from one organism to another. Energy is then lost
to the environment as heat, that is why the Earth
needs a constant supply of light energy from the
sun. How does Earth use the energy from the sun?
The living things in any ecosystem consist of the
producers, consumers, and decomposers. Energy
and nutrients are transferred from the producers to
decomposers through their feeding relationships.
Producers are green plants, algae or microorganisms
that are capable of making their own food. They
make their own food by converting energy from the
sun into chemical energy. Producers provide energy
and nutrients to other organisms.
Consumers got their energy by feeding on plants and
other organisms. Therefore, all animals are
consumers. Organisms that eat only plants are called
herbivores. They are known as primary consumers.
Living things that eat other animals are called
carnivores. Carnivores that eat herbivores are also
known as secondary consumers. Carnivores that feed
on other carnivores are tertiary consumers. Some
animals, like humans, eat both plant and animals.
They are called omnivores.
Decomposers get their energy by breaking down
dead organisms and their wastes. When they
breal down these dead organisms and watses,
nutrients from them are returned to the
environment. These nutrients are needed by
plants for their growth and development.
Examples of decomposers are fungi and
bacteria.
A heron feeding on a fish on a mudflat.
Food Chain
The feeding relationships among organisms can
be shown by a food chain. A food chain is a
series of organisms in which each organism
feeds on another organism ad so on. A food
chain always beings with a producer. These
examples of food chains:
• Food web
• When food chains are interlinked, they form a
food web. A food web consists of two or more
food chains/A food web is shown below.
 LET’S EXPLORE
DECONSTRUCTING A FOOD CHAIN
SCIENCE SKILLS: OBSERVING, INFERRING, COMMUNICATING
TIME FRAME: 10-15 MINUTES
YOU WILL NEED: PRINT AND INTERNET RESOURCES
WHAT TO DO:
1. WORK WITH A PARTNER OR A SMALL GROUP.
2. GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS LESSON AND LIST THE ORGANISMS THAT
LIVE IN AN INTERTIDAL ZONE OR ESTUARY.
3. Identify each organism as a producer, consumer, or decomposer.If it is a
consumer, you can also specify if it is a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore.
Use different resources to research each organism’s source of food.
4. You can prefer your findings in a table like the one below.
ORGANISM- MANGROVE

TYPE/ROLE- PRODUCER

SOURCE OF FOOD- NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL,

CARBON DIOXIDE
 LET’S GO BEYOND
Based on the results from the previous activity,
form food chains and food webs of the
organisms living in an intertidal zone or
estuaries in your own city or province.
 LET’S RECALL
DIFFERENTIATE PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS AND
DECOMPOSERS. THEN, MAKE A DIAGRAM
SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP OF THESE
ORGANISMS. DO THIS IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
 LET’S CHECK
A. MATCH THE DESCRIPTIONS IN COLUMN A WITH THE ITEMS IN COLUMN B.
1. ORGANISMS THAT CAN MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD.
2. ORGANISMS THAT EAT PLANTS ONLY
3. ORGANISMS THAT GET ENERGY BY FEEDING ON PLANTS AND OTHER
ORGANISMS.
4. ORGANISMS THAT EAT ANIMALS ONLY.
5. ORGANISMS THAT ARE ALSO KNOWN AS HERBIVORES
6. ORGANISMS THAT EAT BOTH PLANTS AND ANIMALS
7. A SERIES OF ORGANISMS THAT FEED ON EACH OTHER
8. ORGANISMS THAT FEED ON DEAD ANIMALS AND WASTES
9. CONSISTS OF TWO OR MORE FOOD CHAINS
10.ORGANISMS THAT EAT HERBIVORES.
A. CARNIVORES
B. CONSUMERS
C. DECOMPOSERS
D. FOOD CHAIN
E. FOOD WEB
F. HERBIVORES
G. OMNIVORES
H. PRIMARY CONSUMERS
I. PRODUCERS
J. SECONDARY CONSUMERS
K. SCAVENGERS
IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING ORGANISM IF IT
IS A PRODUCER, CONSUMER, OR
DECOMPOSER, IF THE ORGANISM IS A
CONSUMER,IDENTIFY IF IT IS A CARNIVORE,
HERBIVORE OR AN OMNIVORE.
1. SHRIMP
2. HUMAN
3. SEAWEED
4. GREEN ALGAE
5. HERON
6. SNAIL
7. MANGROVE
8. FUNGI
9. TILAPIA
10.BACTERIA
C. DRAW AN EXAMPLE OF A FOOD CHAIN AND A
FOOD WEB. FOR THE FOOD CHAIN, YOU MAY
FOLLOW THE BOXES PROVIDED BELOW.FOR THE
FOOD WEB, BE SURE TO PUT IT INSIDE THE
BOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 LET’S APPLY IT
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IF ONE
COMPONENT OF THE ESTUARINE SYSTEM
DISAPPEARS?, FOR EXAMPLE, IF MANGROVE
DISAPPEAR FROM AN EXTUARY, WHAT WILL
HAPPEN TO THE OTHER ORGANISMS LIVING IN
IT?