Species in a food chain are interdependent. This interdependence helps to maintain the population of any one species in the ecosystem. The average efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels is around 10%. Because of this inefficiency, food chains can only be so long. Since energy is lost when energy is passed along the food chain, The number of links and levels in an ecosystem can only go up to a certain point. It also means that animals at the top of the food chain need to eat and drink more to stay healthy. Food Chain Examples The primary energy source is the green plants or producers. These plants utilize sunlight and convert it into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Herbivores feed on these plants for energy. The energy then flows through the food chain as carnivores (animals that eat other animals) consume herbivores, and so on. The food chain starts with producers and moves up through various trophic levels.

Consumers— This level of the food chain can be broken down into herbivores (who eat producers), secondary consumers (who eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (who eat secondary consumers), and predators (who eat other consumers). In a food chain, each organism is at a different trophic level, which is determined by how many energy transfers separate it from the starting point of the chain. This animal food chain PowerPoint is ideal to show your entire class and it has questions for them to answer together. Can they spot the missing animal from the food chain? Most food webs don’t show decomposers. You may have noticed that the food web above for Lake Ontario does not. Still, all ecosystems need ways to get rid of waste and dead things. related to this specific article. If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts you'd like to share, we inviteAnother way to use the Food Chain Pictures is for a display. Why not hang them up around your classroom, they’ll brighten up your room and also be there as a point of reference for the children. Have a look at our Food Chains Display Banner or Food Chain Display Letteringthat you can add to your display! Set up a food web on your classroom floor using painter's tape and printed pictures, then allow students to walk the web to see how organisms interconnect. This wonderful collection of Food Web Posters explores three distinct ecosystems. The food webs covered are: The grazing food chain is a type of food chain that goes from green plants to herbivores to carnivores.

Strong, D. R. (2008). Food Chains and Food Webs. Encyclopedia of Ecology, 1627–1636. doi:10.1016/b978-008045405-4.00497-3Remember, sharing your thoughts not only helps you gain a deeper understanding but also contributes to the For an even better way to find KS2 resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the KS2 resource HUB! GO TO KS2 HUB Some producers, like plants, get the energy they need to make food from the sun. Photosynthesis is the name for this process. There are some producers who use chemical energy to make their food, but most producers need sunlight to make their food. The food chain and food webs form the basic structures that determine the interactions between species and the flow of energy and nutrients within ecological communities. It holds several significance, including: The food chain doesn’t show how energy moves in the best way. But the food web is able to show how energy flows because it shows how different organisms interact with each other.

Now we can look at how energy and nutrients move through a community of living things. Let’s start by looking at a food chain to see a few examples of who eats who. Food webs are more accurate pictures of how organisms eat in ecosystems because they show how many food chains are connected to each other. Secondary consumers - Organisms or animals that feed on primary consumers. These include Iguanas and frogs. We hope you've enjoyed reading our latest blog article! We're thrilled to see the positive response it's been In the 10th century, a scientist and philosopher named Al-Jahiz came up with the idea of the food chain. In 1927, Charles Elton wrote a book that popularised Al-ideas Jahiz’s and also came up with the idea of the food web. A food web shows how all the food chains in a certain area connect to each other.How well a food chain works depends on how much energy the first producers need. The producer gives energy to the first consumer, who then gives it to the second and third consumers. Decomposers — These organisms break down organic waste, turning it into soil that is then used by producers. The first producers are at the bottom of the food chain. Autotrophs are the main producers, and they are usually photosynthetic organisms like plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Another important part of the food chain is another kind of living thing. These are decomposers, which eat dead organic matter and break it down to make soil. Without decomposers, many ecosystems would not exist. This is because plants get nutrients from the soil, which starts the process over again. There are more than 100,000 different kinds of decomposers, such as bacteria, fungi, and worms.