Food chains

TargetTo understand the term food

chain.

Feeding Types

Consumers cannot make their own food. They must consume other organisms.

Organisms may be producers. Producers make their own food.

Producer or consumer?

Key wordsKey wordsProducers – make their own food Producers – make their own food

(plants).(plants).Consumers – eat plants or animals for Consumers – eat plants or animals for

food.food.

Consumers

CarnivoresThese consumers eat other consumers or we might say they eat animals.

Herbivores These consumers eat producers or plants and bacteria.

OmnivoresThese consumers eat both other consumers and producers. So we might say they eat animals and plants. A bit like us!

Key wordsKey wordsProducers – make their own food Producers – make their own food

(plants).(plants).Consumers – eat plants or animals for Consumers – eat plants or animals for

food.food.Herbivores – eat plants only.Herbivores – eat plants only.Omnivores – eat plants and animals.Omnivores – eat plants and animals.Carnivores – eat animals only.Carnivores – eat animals only.

Food Chains

Food chains show us what is eaten by what. Look at the food chain below:

grass rabbit fox

The shows the direction of energy flow in the chain. We can imagine that the arrow means ‘eaten by’, so energy is transferred in the direction of the arrow. So this food chain says:

Note that food chains always start with a producer.

Grass is eaten by the rabbit, which is eaten by a hawk.

Ranking Consumers

Food chains Food chains Key points:Key points:Food chains show what eats what.Food chains show what eats what.Start with producers (plant) and with Start with producers (plant) and with

arrows show what eats what. arrows show what eats what. End of food chain is the tertiary End of food chain is the tertiary

consumer (top predator).consumer (top predator).

Core Science 1 – Pages 92 and 93Core Science 1 – Pages 92 and 93

QuestionsQuestions

Core Science 1 – Pages 92 and 93Core Science 1 – Pages 92 and 93

AnswersAnswers ConsumersConsumers

CarnivoresCarnivores

ProducersProducers

HerbivoresHerbivores

(a) Animals that eat other (a) Animals that eat other animals to survive.animals to survive.

(b) Animals that eat (b) Animals that eat plants in order to plants in order to survive.survive.

(c) Animals that eat (c) Animals that eat plants or other animals plants or other animals to survive .to survive .

(d) Plants that capture (d) Plants that capture the sun’s energy and the sun’s energy and store it as food.store it as food.

(a)

(b)

(c) (d)(b)

(b)

(b)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(d)

(d)

(d)

Key Words

AnswerAnswer

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AnswerAnswer

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