Everglades Food Chain Concepts

The video explains the difference between food chains and food webs, highlighting the complexity and interconnections within ecosystems. It uses the Everglades as an example to show how various organisms interact, including producers, consumers, and specialized feeders. The video emphasizes the importance of each species in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem and considers the potential impacts of removing or introducing species.

What is a food chain used to illustrate?

• The flow of nutrients in an ecosystem

• The flow of air in an ecosystem

• The flow of matter and energy in an ecosystem

• The flow of water in an ecosystem

Why is a simple food chain not sufficient to illustrate an ecosystem?

• Because food chains are too short

• Because food chains are too long

• Because ecosystems are too complex

• Because ecosystems are too small

What is a food web?

• A network of intersecting food chains

• A group of consumers

• A group of producers

• A single food chain

Which organism is the producer in the Everglades food chain example?

• Mosquito larva

• Gambuzia

• Periphyton

• Great blue heron

Which animal would eat a sailfin molly?

• Anhinga

• Raccoon

• Great blue heron

• All of the above

What does the limpkin primarily feed on?

• Periphyton

• Mosquito larvae

• Freshwater apple snails

• Sawgrass

What type of consumer is the limpkin?

• Primary consumer

• Secondary consumer

• Tertiary consumer

• Producer

What does the purple gallinule eat?

• Neither plants nor animals

• Both plants and animals

• Only plants

• Only animals

What might happen if an apple snail is removed from the food web?

• Nothing would change

• The limpkin population might decrease

• The sawgrass population might increase

• The alligator population might increase

What is an example of an invasive species mentioned in the video?

• Great blue heron

• Burmese python

• Florida panther

• White-tailed deer