FOOD WEBS FOOD CHAINS Food Chain A sequence

FOOD WEBS

FOOD CHAINS § Food Chain. A sequence of organisms that eat one another in an ecosystem.

FOOD WEBS § Food Web- A diagram that shows all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

WHO’S INVOLVED § Food Webs have 3 groups of organisms that are involved. § Producers § Consumers § Decomposers

PRODUCERS § Producer- An organism that is able to make its own food through photosynthesis. § Food webs always start out with the producers in an ecosystem.

CONSUMERS § Consumer- An organism that eats other organisms § Primary Consumer- Eats producers § Secondary Consumers- Eat primary consumers § Tertiary Consumers- Eat secondary consumers

PRIMARY CONSUMERS

SECONDARY COMSUMERS

TERTIARY COMSUMERS

CONSUMERS § Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary consumers often have more than one type of feeding relationship that may make them hard to fit into just one group. § Example: Trout Secondary Consumer Trout Primary Consumer Mayfly Producer Planktonic Algae

DECOMPOSERS § Decomposer- An organism that consumes part of dead organisms and decaying matter.

§ Food webs like the one below can sometimes be confusing.

Tertiary Consumers Human Snake Eagle Frog Trout Salamander Primary Consumers Dragonfly Producers Phytoplankton Mayfly Decomposers Secondary Consumers

ENERGY ARROWS § Arrows on a food web are always drawn FROM food source TO food consumer.

TYPES OF CONSUMERS § Herbivore- Organism that eats ONLY PLANTS § Will always be a primary consumer. § Carnivore- Organism that eats ONLY MEAT § Carnivores that eat Herbivores are secondary consumers § Carnivores that eat other Carnivores are tertiary consumers § Omnivore- Organisms that eat BOTH plants and meat.