Unit 1: Energy in Ecosystems Part 1

Energy in Ecosystems

Drag and Drop

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are consumers that eat only other consumers.

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are consumers that eat only producers.

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are consumers that eat both producers and consumers.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Carnivores

Herbivores

Omnivores

Parts of a Food Chain

A food chain shows organisms that eat each other in a line.
The arrows show the flow of energy

Parts of a Food Chain

• Sun - ultimate source of energy in Earth's ecosystems

• Producer - always the first organism in a food chain

• Primary Consumer - organism that eats a producer

• Secondary Consumer - organism that eats a primary consumer

• Tertiary Consumer - organism that eats a secondary consumer

Match

Match the description with the correct term.

• eats secondary consumers; usually a carnivore

• eats producers; usually an herbivore

• captures energy from the sun; first organism in a food chain

• source of energy for Earth's ecosystems

• eats primary consumers; usually an omnivore or carnivore

tertiary consumer

primary consumer

producer

sun

secondary consumer

• tertiary consumer

• primary consumer

• producer

• sun

• secondary consumer

A food web is a more complex model that shows many feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

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Food Webs

Multiple Choice

Examine the image.

What does the arrow tell you?

• Grasshoppers are predators of frogs.

• The grasshopper eats the frog.

• The frog gets energy from the grasshopper.

There are many food chains shown in one food web.

For example:
grass → rabbit → hawk

grass → mouse → owl


grass → grasshopper → bird → snake → hawk

Reorder

Reorder the following food chain using the food web.

• grass

• grasshopper

• frog

• snake

• hawk

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Practice identifying the feeding relationships in a food web.

For example:
grass → grasshopper → bird → snake

Grass is a producer
Grasshopper is a primary consumer
Bird is a secondary consumer
Snake is a tertiary consumer

Labelling

Label the feeding relationships in this food web.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

tertiary consumer

secondary consumer

primary consumer

producer

Some food webs can look a bit different.
This aquatic ecosystem shows plankton as the producer.

Remember that the arrows show the flow of energy.

For example:
plankton → krill → Antarctic cod → leopard seal

Multiple Choice

According to this food web, what is the producer?

• plankton

• krill

• leopard seal