Food Chains and Webs Adapted from Reba Wiggins

Food Chain  Order in which animals eat plants and other animals.  Always begins with autotrophs.  Arrows show the flow of energy Plant Insects Fish

Food Chain  Producer = Autotroph  Consumer = Heterotroph Plant Insects Fish

Herbivores  Herbivores are animals that only eat plants.

Carnivores  Carnivores are animals that eat meat.  Carnivores will also eat animals that eat plants.

Omnivores  Omnivores will eat both plants and animals.  Some animals eat both plants and meat.  People are omnivores

Insects eat plants  Insects eat plants.  Fish, frogs, and birds eat the insects that eat the plants.  This begins the food chain.

Birds, Animals and People Eat Fish  Birds and other animals eat the fish. The fish eat the plants and insects.  People eat fish too.

A Food Chain Plant Insects Fish Frog Bear People

Food Web  Interconnecting food chains (overlapping)

Food Web  1° = Primary consumer eats autotrophs (herbivore)  2 ° = Secondary or 2 nd level consumers eat 1° consumer 3° 3° = Tertiary or 3 rd level consumer eats 2°

Decomposer (Saphrolyte)  Organisms that break down wasted and dead organisms  They get their energy this way and return nutrients to the soil (examples: fungi, bacteria)

Linking it to the Article…  Mink Habitat: Salt marsh, estuary  Mink adaptations: Webbed feet, oily guard hairs  Indicator species: easily affected by changes in habitat (scientists can tell health of ecosystem)  Top level predator: No natural 2 nd predators