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Food Chain and Food Web Report

Food chains and food webs describe how energy flows through an ecosystem. A food chain represents a linear pathway of organisms with one organism consuming the next. A food web depicts the complex and interconnected feeding relationships among multiple food chains in an ecosystem. It shows how plants, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers are linked together through consumption. While a food chain follows a single path, a food web illustrates the various ways organisms obtain energy and are eaten by multiple other organisms in the network.

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306 views4 pages

Food Chain and Food Web Report

Food chains and food webs describe how energy flows through an ecosystem. A food chain represents a linear pathway of organisms with one organism consuming the next. A food web depicts the complex and interconnected feeding relationships among multiple food chains in an ecosystem. It shows how plants, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers are linked together through consumption. While a food chain follows a single path, a food web illustrates the various ways organisms obtain energy and are eaten by multiple other organisms in the network.

Uploaded by

April Espiña
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WEB

Report in General Ecology

Myde B. Agus
Food chain and Food web
Every living plant and animal must have energy to survive. Plants rely on the soil, water, and the
sun for energy. Animals rely on plants as well as other animals for energy. In an ecosystem, plants and
animals all rely on each other to live. Scientists sometimes describe this dependence using a food chain
or a food web.

Food chain is a linear sequence of organisms which starts from producer organisms and ends
with decomposer species. It is a system where a small animal is the food for a larger animal which, in
turn, is the food for an even larger animal.

Links of the Chain


There are names to help describe each link of the food chain. The names depend mostly on what the
organism eats and how it contributes to the energy of the ecosystem.

• Producers - Plants are producers. This is because they produce energy for the ecosystem. They
do this because they absorb energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. They also need water
and nutrients from the soil, but plants are the only place where new energy is made.
• Consumers - Animals are consumers. This is because they don't produce energy, they just use it
up. Animals that eat plants are called primary consumers or herbivores. Animals that eat other
animals are called secondary consumers or carnivores. If a carnivore eats another carnivore, it is
called a tertiary consumer. Some animals play both roles, eating both plants and animals. They
are called omnivores.
• Decomposers - Decomposers eat decaying matter (like dead plants and animals). They help put
nutrients back into the soil for plants to eat. Examples of decomposers are worms, bacteria, and
fungi.

Energy is Lost
Like we said above, all the energy made in the food chain comes from the producers, or plants,
converting sunlight into energy with photosynthesis. The rest of the food chain just uses energy. So as
you move through the food chain there is less and less energy available. For this reason, there are less
and less organisms the further along the food chain you get.
Each Link is Important
Links higher up in the food chain rely on the lower links.

Food Web
In any ecosystem there are many food chains and, generally, most plants and animals are part of
several chains. When you draw all the chains together you end up with a food web.

Food web is a connection of multiple food chains. Food chain follows a single path whereas food web
follows multiple paths. From the food chain, we get to know how organisms are connected with each
other. A food web is the natural interconnection of food chains and a graphical representation of what-
eats-what in an ecological community. Another name for food web is consumer-resource system.

Trophic Levels
Sometimes scientists describe each level in a food web with a trophic level. Here are the five trophic
levels:

• Level 1: Plants (producers)


• Level 2: Animals that eat plants or herbivores (primary consumers)
• Level 3: Animals that eat herbivores (secondary consumers, carnivores)
• Level 4: Animals that eat carnivores (tertiary consumers, carnivores)
• Level 5: Animals at the top of the food chain are called apex predators. Nothing eats these
animals.
Food Chain VS. Food Web
Food Chain Food Web
In a food chain, there is a straight line In a food web, each organism eats and
from producers to first consumers to is eaten by 2 or more organisms. So,
second consumers to third consumers everything is connected by a web.
An organism at higher level of food An organism at higher level of food
chain eats a specific organism at the web can eat more than one organism
lower level from low level
Food chain is a simplified version of Food web is what happens in reality. A
food web food web contains many food chains.
Single food chain is unstable in an Food webs are stable in an ecosystem
ecosystem

A food chain only follows just one path as animals finds food. eg: A hawk eats a snake,
which has eaten a frog, which has eaten a grasshopper, which has eaten grass. While food web
shows the many different paths plants and animals are connected.
Both the food chain and food web represent flow of food and energy through various
organisms (including plants) and point from the producers to the consumers. Both the food
web and food chain include a number of organisms including both producers and consumers (as
well as decomposers).

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_web
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chain

https://www.teachoo.com/11180/3204/Difference-between-Food-Chain-and-Food-
Web/category/Extra-Questions/

https://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/food_chain_and_web.php

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