Food Chain and Food Webs

Look at "Diagram card#1." Which organism is the top predator in this food chain and how do you know?

The hawk is the top predator since it doesn't have any predators in this food chain.

What does it mean to be a top predator in a food chain?

Top predators are not prey to any other animal.

According to scientist, how much of the energy is passes along from one link in a food chain to the next level?

10% rule or 1/10 rule

What is the name for an organism that cannot make its own food, and therefore depends on other living things for food.

Consumer

Look at "Diagram card#1." What does it mean when the arrow points from the frog to the the snake?

Energy moves from the frog to the snake when the snake eats the frog.

True of False? An animal cannot be both a predator and a prey.

False, an animal can be both predator and prey.

True of False? A change at one level of an ecosystem only impacts the organism at the next level of that ecosystem.

False. A change at one level of an ecosystem impacts all levels of that ecosystem.

True of False? All carnivores must hunt to get their food.

False. Not all carnivores must hunt to get their food. Scavengers eat animals that are already dead.

Look at "Diagram Card#1." Is this an example of a food chain or food web? How do you know?

Food chain; the diagram shows only one link between each animal.

Look at "Diagram card#1." Which organism shown is a primary consumer and how do you know?

Grasshopper, primary consumer eat the producers in a food chain.

What is the name for animals that eat both consumers and producers?

Omnivore

What is the name of the process that producers use to make food?

Photosynthesis

Look at "Diagram card#1." What would happen to the population of grasshopper and the population of snakes in this food chain if the frogs got sick and were killed by a disease?

Population of grasshoppers would increase since there are fewer predators and the population of snakes would decrease since there is less food.

What is the main difference between a producer and a consumer?

Producers are able to make their own food. Consumers must get food from other living things.

What is another name for the carnivores that eat the herbivores in a food chain? a. primary consumers b. secondary consumer c. tertiary consumers d. primary producers e. secondary producers f. tertiary producers

Seconday Consumers

Suppose that due to the deaths of many of its predators, the mouse population an an area increases. What will that do to the amount of producers in the area? Why would that happen?

The amount of producers will decrease because there will be more mice eating them.

What happens to the energy in the food chain when decomposers recycle the nutrients of dead plant and dead animal materials?

The energy returns to the producers through nutrients in the soil.

Would the population of foxes in an ecosystem increase or decrease at first if most of the rabbits become sick and died? Why would that happen?

The fox population will decrease because there are fewer rabbits to eat for food.

How does having a hard shell help a turtle compete against other animals when hunting for crabs?

The hard shell helps protect its body in case it has to fight other animals for food.

Suppose that a fire in an area of the African savanna kills many of the grasses and trees in that are. What is likely to happen to the population of herbivores that live there?

The population of herbivores in that are will likely decrease because there isn't enough food.

Would the population of rabbits in an area increase or decrease if the foxes were being killed by hunters? Why would that happen?

The rabbit population will increase because there are fewer foxes to eat them.

Why are there usually less top predators than herbivores in an ecosystem.

There is much less energy available to support as many top predators since energy is lost at each level of the food chain.

True or false? An eagle is a mouse's predator and a mouse is an eagle's prey.

True

What is the main difference between a food chain and a food web?

a food chain shows only one link between each organism and its food, while a food web shows multiple links.

Which of the following are types of decomposers? a. rats b. bacteria c. ants d. whales e. worms f. leopards g. fungi

bacteria, worms, fungi

Which of the following are consumers a. bears b. ants c. shrubs d. pine trees e. hummingbirds f. moss g. dandelions

bears, ants, hummingbirds

Which of the following animals are omnivores? a. deer b. caterpillars c. cheetahs d. bears e. pigs f. lions g. human

bears, pig, humans

What is the word for the struggle that exists between organism for the same limited resources?

competition

Which of the following do carnivores eat? a. producers only b. consumers and producers c. consumers only

consumers only

which of the following do herbivores eat? a. consumer only b. consumer and producers c. producers only d. carnivores only e. herbivores and carnivores

consumers only

What type of living things can connect the top of a food chain back to the bottom of the food chain when a top predator dies?

decomposers

What is the word for a collection of living and nonliving things in an environment?

ecosystem

Which of the following do plants gain from sunlight? a. carbon dioxide b. energy c. sugar d. water

energy

Which statement is true in a food chain? a. Energy flows from consumer to producer. b. energy flows from producer to consumer. c. energy glows directly from the Sun to consumers.

energy flows from producers to consumers

What is the name of the model that shows how energy is lost as it passes from one part of a food chain or food web to the next part?

energy pyramid

What is the name of the diagram used to show how a single chain of different organism depend on one another for food?

food chain

What is the name for the diagram that shows the overlapping feeding relationship between living things?

food web

Which of the following animals are herbivores? a. grasshoppers b. elephants c. lions d. eagles e. snakes f. rabbits g. zebras

grasshoppers, elephants, rabbits, zebras

Why does each level of an energy pyramid get narrower and narrower?

only a small portion of energy passes up from a lower level to a higher level.

Why is there often competition between organisms within an ecosystem?

organism want the same limited resources, such as food or territory.

Which of the following are changes to an ecosystem caused by humans? a. pollution b. earthquake c. volcano d. oil spills e. monsoon f. pesticides g. gutting forests

pollution, oil spills, pesticides, cutting forests

What is a name for all animals that hunt other animals for food?

predators

What is a name for the animals that predators hunt and eat?

prey

Which of the following is a name for the living things that eat the plants in a food chain? a. primary consumer b. secondary consumer c. tertiary consumer d. primary producer e. secondary producer f. tertiary producer

primary consumer

What is the name for an organism that makes its own food by using energy from the sun?

producers

What is the name for the organisms that are at the base of the energy pyramid and what is the name for the organisms that are at the top of the energy pyramid?

producers are at the base of the energy pyramid and top predators are at the top of the energy pyramid

What is the name for an animal that eats other animals that are already dead?

scavengers

Look at "Diagram card#1." What is the original source of energy in this food chain?

sun

Which of the following are producers? a. sunflowers b. cows c. bees d. grass e. hawks f. worms g. trees

sunflowers, grass, trees

What is another name for the carnivores that eat the carnivore that eat the herbivores in a food chain? a. primary consumer b. secondary consumers c. tertiary consumer d. primary producers e. secondary producers f. tertiary producers

tertiary consumer

Suppose that hawks are being shot down by hunters in an area. What will likely happen to the population of snakes in that are at first. Why would that happen?

the snake population will increase because there are fewer hawks to eat them.

In a food chain, the energy from producers originate with what?

the sun

Which of the following animals are only carnivores? a. tigers b. bees c. jaguars d. owls e. horses f. ants g. wolves

tigers, jaguars, owls, wolves