๐ Topic Summary
Food chains and food webs illustrate the flow of energy through an ecosystem. A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where each organism consumes the one before it. Food webs, on the other hand, are more complex and represent interconnected food chains, showing the diverse feeding relationships within an ecosystem. Understanding these concepts is crucial for grasping how ecosystems maintain stability; changes at one level can ripple through the entire web, affecting all organisms.
๐งช Part A: Vocabulary
Match the following terms with their correct definitions:
| Term |
Definition |
| 1. Producer |
A. An organism that eats other animals. |
| 2. Consumer |
B. An organism that breaks down dead plants and animals. |
| 3. Decomposer |
C. An organism that makes its own food using sunlight. |
| 4. Food Chain |
D. A sequence showing how energy moves from one organism to another. |
| 5. Food Web |
E. A network of interconnected food chains. |
๐ Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the following paragraph using the words provided: energy, ecosystem, predators, herbivores, balance.
An __________ is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their environment. Food chains and food webs describe how __________ flows through this system. __________ eat plants, while __________ eat other animals. Maintaining a __________ within these relationships is vital for the health of the ecosystem.
๐ Part C: Critical Thinking
Imagine a forest ecosystem where a disease kills off a large portion of the deer population. Discuss how this might affect the rest of the food web in that ecosystem. Consider at least three different consequences.