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3.1Biology 03. Ecosystems

Construct and interpret food chains and webs which include… — Cambridge Checkpoint Science 0893 Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 8 parts Lesson 1 of 3 1 quiz

📚 Cambridge Checkpoint Science 0893 Hub / Topical Revision
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Lesson summary

3.1 Food chains and food webs — CHECKPOINT - Lower Secondary Science 0893 notes: Construct and interpret food chains and food webs, including the role of decomposers, and use the terms producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, predator and prey.Source of energy — the energy in fo…

  • Energy transfer
  • Starting point
  • Reading a food web
  • In diagrams
  • Limitation
  • Source of energy — the energy in food begins in the Sun and reaches Earth as sunlight

Section 1 of 8Energy in food chains

Source of energy
  • Source of energy the energy in food begins in the Sun and reaches Earth as sunlight.
Plants
  • Plants use sunlight energy to make their own food, and some of this energy is stored in roots, stems, fruits and leaves.
Energy transfer
  • Energy transfer when an animal eats part of a plant, energy passes from the plant to the animal.

Section 2 of 8Food chains

Food chain
  • Food chain a diagram that shows how energy is transferred from one organism to the next by feeding.
  • Arrows point in the direction of energy transfer.
  • 1An example is grass2springbok3cheetah
Starting point
  • Starting point a food chain starts with the Sun, which is the source of the energy, and then the producer.

Section 3 of 8Feeding terms

TermMeaning
ProducerThe first organism in a food chain, a plant that makes food using energy from the Sun
ConsumerAn organism that eats ready-made food, always an animal
HerbivoreA consumer that eats only plants
CarnivoreA consumer that eats other animals
PredatorAn animal that catches, kills and eats other animals
PreyAn animal that is caught and eaten by a predator

Section 4 of 8Food webs

Food web
  • Food web a diagram of many food chains that are linked together.
  • Arrows show the path of energy from one organism to another.
  • An organism can have several foods and several predators.
Reading a food web
  • Reading a food web follow the arrows from a producer through the consumers to trace one food chain.

Section 5 of 8Decomposers

Decomposers
  • Decomposers organisms, mostly fungi and bacteria, that break down dead organisms and animal waste.
  • Energy from dead bodies and waste is transferred to the decomposers.
Nutrients
  • Nutrients decomposers return nutrients to the soil, and plants use them to grow.
In diagrams
  • In diagrams decomposers are often left out because an arrow from every organism would make the web too complicated.

Section 6 of 8Models of feeding relationships

Strength
  • Strength food chains and webs show clearly how plants and animals depend on each other for food.
Limitation
  • Limitation they are not complete, because real ecosystems contain many more feeding links.

Section 7 of 8Key terms

TermMeaning
ProducerOrganism that makes its own food, such as a plant.
ConsumerOrganism that eats other organisms.
HerbivoreConsumer that eats only plants.
CarnivoreConsumer that eats animals.
PredatorAnimal that hunts and eats other animals.
PreyAnimal that is eaten by a predator.
DecomposerMicroorganism such as a fungus or bacterium that breaks down dead material.

Section 8 of 8Exam technique

1
Arrows in a food chain show what eats what — they show the direction of energy transfer, from the food to the eater.
2
All animals are producers — animals are always consumers because they cannot make their own food.
3
Decomposers are not part of food webs — they feed on dead organisms and waste and recycle nutrients.
4
A food web is complete as drawn — it is a model that shows only some of the links.

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