Food Webs and Food Chains
food web
A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
producer
An organism that can make its own food (plants); starts off a food chain
secondary consumer
An organism that eats primary consumers; carnivore or omnivore
primary consumer
An organism that eats producers; herbivore
tertiary consumer
An organism that eats secondary consumers; carnivore; sometimes at the top of a food chain or web
What happens if an organism dies out or is removed from a food web?
When one of the links (species) in a food chain is no longer present (for example a species goes extinct or a feral animal takes over), the food chain breaks. Sometimes, this can cause other animals in the food chain to disappear as well and the whole ecosystem can become imbalanced or even collapse.
carnivore
organism that obtains energy by eating animals
omnivore
organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals
herbivore
organism that obtains energy by eating only plants
What do the arrows in a food chain or food web represent?
the transfer of energy; the tips of the arrows should always be pointing toward the organism that is doing the eating