Food Chains and Food Webs

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What is a food chain?

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A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem, starting from producers to various levels of consumers.

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What is a food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how different organisms are related through feeding relationships.

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What is a producer?

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A producer is an organism, usually a plant, that can make its own food through photosynthesis, providing energy for other organisms in the food chain.

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What is a consumer?

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A consumer is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other organisms (plants or animals) to obtain energy.

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What is a decomposer?

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A decomposer is an organism, such as bacteria or fungi, that breaks down dead organic material, returning nutrients to the soil and completing the cycle of matter.

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What is an autotroph?

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An autotroph is an organism that produces its own food from inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

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What is a heterotroph?

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A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food and relies on consuming other organisms for energy.

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What is an omnivore?

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An omnivore is an organism that eats both plants and animals, obtaining energy from multiple sources.

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What is a herbivore?

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A herbivore is an organism that primarily eats plants, obtaining energy solely from plant material.

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What is a primary consumer?

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A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers (plants) and is the first level of consumers in a food chain.