Interpreting a Food Web

H. Beavers are eaten by coyotes and gray wolves.

Beavers, Coyotes. Beavers, Gray Wolves.

B. Breaded wheatgrass and sagebrush are eaten by elk, bison, snowshoe hare, and deer mice.

Breaded Wheatgrass, Deer Mice. Breaded Wheatgrass, Elk. Breaded Wheatgrass, Bison. Breaded Wheatgrass, Snowshoe Hares. Sagebrush, Bison Sagebrush, Elk Sagebrush, Snowshoe Hares Sagebrush, Deer Mice.

G. Cuthroat trout are eaten by bald eagles and grizzly bears.

Cutthrout Trout, Bald Eagles. Cutthrout Trout, Grizzly Bears.

J. Deer mice are eaten by coyotes, red foxes, grizzly bears,and bald eagles.

Deer mice, Coyotes. Deer mice, Red Foxes. Deer mice, Grizzly Bears. Deer mice, Bald Eagles.

Plants and algae are often referred to as producers. What exactly do they produce?

Energy for other animals to eat.

Based on your answer to the previous question, why are there so many more producers in any given ecosystem than any other organism? Why are top predators so rare to witness in the wild?

You see more of them because they don't move like other animals do. Top predators are more scared of you then you are of them.

According to the Ten percent law, only about 10% of the energy consumed makes it from one trophic level to the next. With this in mind, if you started with 1,000 calories of willow leaves, how many calories would make it to each of these other animals?

Producer: Gray Willow Leaves. A. Deer Mouse: 100% B. Red Fox: 10% C. Gray Wolf: 1%

If you were to take a walk through a part of Yellowstone National Park, which level of the food web would you expect to see the most of?

A. Producers.

The four plants and algae at the bottom of your food web are the only organisms that do not have any arrows pointing at them. What is their source of energy?

Algae, Aspen Tree, Breaded Wheatgrass, Gray Willow Tree, and Sagebrush. The Sun.

D. Aspen trees are eaten by beavers. The leaves are eaten by elk.

Aspen Trees, Beavers. Aspen Trees, Elk.

C. Gray willow leaves are eatem by deer mice, elk, and bison.

Gray Willow Leaves, Deer Mice. Gray Willow Leaves, Elk. Gray Willow Leaves, Bison.

F. The snowshoe hare is eaten by coyotes, wolves, and foxes.

Snowshoe Hares, Coyote. Snowshoe Hares, Wolves. Snowshoe Hares, Red Foxes.

Primary Consumers are organisms that directly feed on producers. What animals on your food web would be classified as primary consumers?

Snowshoe hare, mayfly, cutthroat trout, deer mouse, and beaver.

A. Pond algae is eaten by mayflies and cutthrout trout.

Algae, Mayfly. Algae, Cutthrout Trout.

Primary consumers are sometimes called herbivores, as they only eat plants. Primary or secondary consumers that only eat meat are called carnivores. Primary or secondary consumers that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Indentify the two omnivores in your food web.

Bear and Cutthroat Trout.

Tertiary or top consumers are animals at the top of the food web. They feed off of eitherprimary or secondary consumers. What anaimls would fit into this classification?

Coyote, Bald Eagle, Gray Wolf, and Red Fox.

K. Elk and Bison are eaten by Coyotes and Gray Wolves.

Elk, Coyotes. Elk, Gray Wolves. Bison, Coyotes. Bison, Gray Wovles.

Secondary consumers are organisms that directly feed on Primary consumers. What animals on your food web be classified as secondary consumers?

Elk, bison, grizzly bear, and Harlequin duck.

One trophic level not shown on this food web is the decomposer. These organisms, which include bacteria, fungi, and some invertebrates, eat dead and decomposing organic matter. If you were to draw a decomposer on this food web, what arrows would be poniting to it?

Everything besides the plants.

L. Gray Wolves may also feed on coyotes and Red Foxes.

Gray Wolves, Red Foxes. Gray Wolves, Coyotes.

I. Harlequin ducks are eaten by red foxes and bald eagles.

Harlequin Ducks, Red Foxes. Harlequin Ducks, Bald Eagles.

E. Mayflies are eaten by harlequin ducks, grizzly bears, and deer mice.

Mayflies, Harlequin Ducks. Mayflies, Grizzly Bears. Mayflies, Deer Mice.

Which level of the food web would you expect to see the least of?

Primary Consumers.

Why are the arrows always drwan from the prey towards the predators? What are they showing the flow of?

To show the predator-prey relationship. The flow of energy.