16 Objective: Examine how food chains and food webs model the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
Read the passage and study the pictures. Use the information to
answer the questions.
Everytimeyourun,jump,orthrowaball,youareusingupenergyinyourbody.Afoodchainshowshoweachlivingthinggetsitsenergy.Forexample,asimplefoodchainlinksgrassplants,cows(thateatthegrass),andpeople(whoeatthecows).Eachlinkinthefoodchainisfoodforthenextlink.Afoodchainalwaysstartswithaplantandendswithananimal.
energy energy
Nowit’syourturntomakeasimplefoodchainusinganimalsandplantsthatliveinthesea.
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Box1 Box2 Box3
Food Chains: Who Eats Whom?
1 WhichofthesemightgoinBox1?
2 WhichofthesemightgoinBox2?
3 WhichofthesemightgoinBox3?
PlantsusetheSun’senergytoproducefood,sotheyarecalledproducers.Animalshavetoconsume(eat)foodtogetenergy,sotheyarecalledconsumers.Thelastanimalinafoodchainiscalledthetopconsumer.
4 Whichoftheseisaproducer? rosebush chipmunk monkey
5 Whichoftheseisaconsumer? owl mapletree appletree
6 Whichofthesemightbetopconsumer? human chicken grass
17
Study the diagram. Find the word that correctly completes each sentence.
7 TrueorFalse?Thewolfisatopconsumerinthisfoodweb.
8 Inthisfoodweb,theplantisthe■.
9 Inthisfoodweb,thesnakeisa■.
0 Thefoodwebshowsthatrabbitsandmicegettheirenergyfrom■.
- Thefoodwebshowsthatowlsgetenergyfromfrogs,mice,and■.
= TrueorFalse?Rabbitsareconsumers.Theygetenergybyeatingwolvesandowls.
Use library books or the Internet to learn about the types of plants and animals in your area. Make a poster of a possible food web using photographs and drawings.
Digging Deeper
producer False rosebush rabbits owl
human True plants consumer
Innature,differentfoodchainsareconnected.Thisiscalledafoodweb.Thedrawingbelowshowsafoodwebinaforestcommunity. Remember! The
arrows in the food chain and food web diagrams show the direction in which energy moves.