Lesson 2: Food Chains and Food Webs
Completion requirements
Unit 3 - The Web of Life in a Forest Ecosystem
Lesson 2: Food Chains and Food Webs
To better understand a forest ecosystem, it's important to learn about food chains and food webs and the difference between the two.
For an ecosystem to work, there has to be a flow of energy within it; a forest food chain describes how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. The feeding relationship between producers and consumers can be expressed as a food chain. A food chain always begins with a producer.
A food chain is very simple in that each organism only has one producer or consumer.
In a forest ecosystem, a food chain might start with plants, eaten by grasshoppers, eaten by frogs, which are eaten by snakes, which are eaten by hawks.
Isolated food chains are not good for an ecosystem and induce instability.
A food chain is very simple in that each organism only has one producer or consumer.
In a forest ecosystem, a food chain might start with plants, eaten by grasshoppers, eaten by frogs, which are eaten by snakes, which are eaten by hawks.
Isolated food chains are not good for an ecosystem and induce instability.
A food web is a series of interconnected food chains. Like a food chain, a food web also contains organisms consisting of producers and consumers.
A food web is more complex than a food chain because it contains a number of food chains.
In a food web, a consumer may eat a number of different producers. As an example, a squirrel eats seeds, nuts and fruit. The squirrel may be eaten by a fox or a raccoon; the fox also eats mice and grasshoppers.
In a forest ecosystem, a food web is important in that it increases the stability of the ecosystem.
A food web is more complex than a food chain because it contains a number of food chains.
In a food web, a consumer may eat a number of different producers. As an example, a squirrel eats seeds, nuts and fruit. The squirrel may be eaten by a fox or a raccoon; the fox also eats mice and grasshoppers.
In a forest ecosystem, a food web is important in that it increases the stability of the ecosystem.