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The Important Thing About
The Food Chain
By: Sarah Dueweke
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
• A food chain shows the link between animals and what
they eat.
• When scientists draw a food chain, they use arrows.
• The arrow means “is eaten by.”
The Food Chain
Sun
Air
Water
Soil
Are
eaten by
Herbivores or
Consumers
Are
eaten by
Omnivores or
Consumers
Carnivores
or
Consumers
Producers
Decomposers
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
• All living things need energy.
• The Sun is the main source of energy on Earth.
• Plants are producers because they use the Sun’s energy to
make their own food.
• Food chains almost always start with producers like plants.
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
• Some animals eat mostly plants, these animals are called herbivores.
• Herbivores are the consumers that come second in the food chain, these
animals get their energy from the plants.
• Deer, grasshoppers and rabbits are herbivores.
• Some herbivores eat only part of a plant.
• Plants are often easy for herbivores to find, but they are sometimes low
in the nutrients the animals need to grow and stay healthy.
• Seeds are often packed with energy rich nutrients like starches, but other
parts of plants, like stems and leaves, don't have as many nutrients.
• Herbivores that eat mostly stems and leaves spend a lot of time grazing
to get all the nutrients they need!
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
• Some animals eat other animals, these animals are called carnivores.
• A carnivore is a consumer that gets food from killing and eating other
animals.
• Carnivores generally eat herbivores, but also eat omnivores, and
occasionally other carnivores.
• Animals that eat other animals, like carnivores and omnivores are
important to any ecosystem because they keep other species from
getting overpopulated.
• Since carnivores have to hunt down and kill other animals they
require a large amount of calories, they have to eat many other
animals to get the energy they need to survive.
• Animals that hunt and eat other animals are called predators, the
animals that they hunt and eat are called prey.
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
• Animals that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores.
• Some omnivores are consumers, like carnivores, that will hunt
and eat herbivores and other omnivores for energy.
• Omnivores also eat plants like fruits and vegetables.
• Some omnivores are scavengers and will eat dead matter.
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
• Fungi and bacteria are decomposers that play an important role in
ecosystems.
• They break down the unused dead material and create nutrients in
the soil.
• Nutrient rich soil helps plants grow.
• Decomposers are an important part of the food chain.
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
The important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.
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There are many links to any food chain.
This food chain starts with grass as the producer.
First, a grasshopper, which is an herbivore, consumes the grass.
Next, a mouse, which is an omnivore, eats the grasshopper.
Then a snake, which is a carnivore, eats the mouse.
After that, a hawk, which is also a carnivore, consumes the snake.
Finally, after the hawk dies, fungi (like mushrooms) and other
decomposers break down the dead hawk, and turn the remains of
the hawk into nutrients.
• The nutrients are released into the soil, the nutrients, along with sun
and water, cause the grass to grow.
• The food chain is a cycle of energy that can begin again!
But the important thing about a food chain is that all the
organisms in that food chain are affected by the changes in
the ecosystem in which they live.