Food Webs and Chains

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What is a food web?

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A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains that shows how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem.

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What is a food chain?

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A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where each is eaten by the next member in the chain, illustrating the flow of energy.

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What are producers in a food web?

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Producers are organisms, like plants, that create their own food through photosynthesis and form the base of the food web.

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What are consumers in a food web?

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Consumers are organisms that cannot produce their own food and rely on eating other organisms for energy.

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What is the role of herbivores in a food web?

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Herbivores are primary consumers that eat plants and serve as a food source for carnivores.

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What is the role of carnivores in a food web?

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Carnivores are secondary or tertiary consumers that eat other animals and help control the population of herbivores.

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What is an omnivore?

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An omnivore is a consumer that eats both plants and animals.

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How does energy flow in a food web?

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Energy flows from producers to consumers and then to higher-level consumers, with each transfer losing some energy as heat.

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What happens to a food web if a top predator is removed?

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If a top predator is removed, it can lead to an overpopulation of herbivores, which may then overconsume producers, disrupting the entire ecosystem.

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What is a trophic level?

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A trophic level is a position in a food chain or food web, defined by how an organism obtains its energy.