Food Chain Hide & SeekFood Chain Hide & Seek

An Introduction to Food WebsAn Introduction to Food Webs

Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research ProgramMichele Kissinger

A food chain is a series of plants and animals connected

by the food they eat.

Here is a simple food chain:

The Lion

The Grass

The Zebra

which is eaten by:

is eaten by:

Another way to think about it:

The Lion

The Grass

The Zebra

which gives energy to:

gives energy to:

Can you draw a food chain based on the Food Chain Hide & Seek game?

The Emperor

The Plankton The Damselfish

The Squirrelfish

is eaten by:

gives energy to:

is eaten by:

gives energy to:

is eaten by:

gives e

nergy to:

Food chains are made up of Producers and Consumers

• Producer: An organism that can make its own food– Ex. A tree can make energy using the sun through

photosynthesis

• Consumer: An organism that must eat others for food– We have to eat food to get energy, we cannot make energy

from the sun

Can you name the Producer in our Hide & Seek game?

The Phytoplankton! (plant plankton)

Phytoplankton use sunlight to make their own food.

Note: There are two types of plankton,

phytoplankton (plant plankton) and zooplankton (animal plankton)

Can you name the Consumer(s) in our Hide & Seek game?

They all need to eat (consume) other plants or animals to survive!

The Zooplankton

The Damselfish

The Squirrelfish

The Emperor

There are many types of consumers:

• Herbivores: Eat plants

• Carnivores: Eat meat

• Omnivores: Eat both meat and plants

• Decomposers: Consume waste and dead materials

What types are the Consumers in our game?

Herbivores

Zooplanktoneat phytoplankton

Carnivores

Squirrelfish

Emperors

Omnivores

Damselfisheat phytoplankton

and zooplankton

Decomposers

Bacteria

this one is extra

bacteria recycle dead plants and animals

into nutrients phytoplankton can use

Have you noticed:All organisms need energy to live!

Life is a complicated race to find food.

Events that effect one organism effect all other organisms

connected to them in a food chain

Let’s look at how this

works in our game…

What would happen to our food chain if there were

more yellowtail dascyllus?

(Will the squirrelfish and emperor arrows point up or down?)

• The number of squirrelfish could go up because there is more food (damselfish).– Then the number of emperors could go up because

there are more squirrelfish to eat.

What would happen if there were more smallmouth squirrelfish?

• The number of emperors could go up because there is more food.

• But the number of damselfish could go down because there are more predators.

What would happen if there were less longnose emperors?

• The number of squirrelfish could go up because there are less predators.

» But what else?!• Then the number of damselfish could do down because

there are more squirrelfish predators!

And last, what would happen if there was

less coral?• The number of damselfish could go down because there

are less places to hide.– Then the number of squirrelfish could go down

because there are less damselfish to eat.– Then the number of emperors could go down

because there are less squirrelfish to eat.

Why might the population of coral decrease?

• Pollution can directly hurt coral and fish.• Pollution can also hurt fish by taking away

their coral habitat or making them sick.

Remember Pollution?

This lesson covers California State Science Content Standards:

4th Grade Life Science• 2a

– plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering most food chains

• 2b – producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores,

and decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem

• 2c– Decomposers recycle matter from dead plants and animals

Credits

This Lesson Was Developed By:

Michele Kissinger

Education and Outreach Coordinator

Moorea Coral Reef LTER

Funding By: