Photo credit: George Stoyle

Food for thought… Coral Reef Food Web

Notes for teachers: Food for thought… is an interactive food webs game, designed to give pupils an appreciation for the fact that every organism living in a community is interconnected through feeding relationships. Split the class in two and hand a double sided print-out of each of the following organism cards to half of the class. The other half will be responsible for helping to construct the food web, based on the ‘key facts’ printed on the reverse of the picture cards. This role can be reversed by using another one of our food for thought… packs downloadable from the website. You will also need a hole puncher, for use where an is indicated, and some strips of wool attached to treasury tags to hold the food web together. Get pupils to think about which organisms are producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and top predators to start them off. You can also use the bacteria card if you wish to symbolise decomposition of permanent, sea living organisms in the food web. A guide of what the finished food web should look like is below:

Scenario cards are provided, as printable documents, of events that would affect organisms in the food web. The pupil holding the organism that is affected sits down symbolising their removal from the food web. Feeding connections to this organism are severed and the effect of its removal on other organisms similarly indicated. This activity has sustainable development implications, by considering the impacts of humans on the marine environment and possible ways of managing this.

SUN

SEAWEED

SQUID

BUTTERFLY FISH

SHARK

PHYTOPLANKTON CORAL

ZOOPLANKTON

SEA URCHIN

PARROT FISH

SEA FAN

BACTERIA SEA CUCUMBER

SUN

SEAWEED

SQUID

BUTTERFLY FISH

SHARK

PHYTOPLANKTON CORAL

ZOOPLANKTON

SEA URCHIN

PARROT FISH

SEA FAN

BACTERIA SEA CUCUMBER

Sun

Key Facts: The primary source of energy for most food webs on the planet.

Used by producers to make energy through the process of

photosynthesis.

Phytoplankton

Photo credit: Malcolm Baptie

Key Facts: Tiny microscopic plants that float around in the water column. Producers that make energy using the process of photosynthesis.

Key Facts:

Zooplankton

Photo credit: Malcolm Baptie

Key Facts: Zooplankton are classed as tiny microscopic animals or the larval

stages of some marine animals.

Primary consumers that feed on phytoplankton.

Photo credit: Jani Tanzil

Sea fan

Key Facts: A form of soft coral that filter feeds on tiny animals from the

water column. Secondary consumers with very few natural predators.

Sea urchin

Photo credit: Sara Marsham

Key Facts: Sea urchins are grazers, who belong to the same family as

starfish and sea cucumbers. Primary consumers with very few natural predators because of their

protective spines.

Food for thought… Coral Reef Food Web

Seaweed

Photo credit: Sara Marsham

Key Facts: Grows in tufts on coral reefs. Producers that make energy using the process of photosynthesis

Squid

Photo credit: Sara Marsham

Key Facts: Secondary consumers that feed by catching krill in their sticky

tentacles.

Squid are actually related to marine snails!

Butterfly fish

Photo credit: George Stoyle

Key Facts: Brightly coloured reef fish that live in groups.

Primary consumers that graze on algal tufts growing on coral reefs.

Coral

Key Facts: Both a primary consumer and primary producer! Coral has a mutually beneficial relationship with microscopic algae which means it gets energy from

photosynthesis during the day. During the night corals have tentacles which they use to catch passing microscopic animals

Shark

Photo credit: Linda Olsson

Key Facts: The top predator on coral reefs. Secondary consumers that actively hunt large fish and squid

to eat.

Parrot fish

Key Facts: Coral eating fish that blend in perfectly to their brightly coloured

backgrounds.

Are primary consumers.

Photo credit: Gordon Beakes, Newcastle University

Bacteria

Key Facts: Microscopic organisms. Break down dead plants and animals to release nutrients back

into the water column.

q

Sea cucumber

Key Facts: Detritivores that filter food out of the sand.

Fully grown sea cucumbers can filter up to 23 litres of sand and

sea water per day!

Sea cucumber