The Links of Food Chains

               The flow of energy from one organism to another is called a food chain. A food web is when several different food chains are connected together. Producers, such as sunflowers, are at the beginning of the food chain and are a great source of energy for animals. Consumers are second in the food chain and include: herbivores (primary), carnivores (secondary) and omnivores (tertiary). Herbivores are plant eaters such as squirrels, carnivores are meat eaters such as leopards, and omnivores eat both meat and plants such as grizzly bears. Decomposers, such as bacteria, are the final part of the food chain and are responsible for breaking down nutrients and returning them to the soil. Producers, consumers and decomposers are equally important in the food chain because each link relies on the previous link for energy in order to survive in the ecosystem. For example, through photosynthesis grass grows, which gives energy to a grasshopper, which gives energy to a rat, which gives energy to a snake, which gives energy to a hawk, which gives energy to the Great Horned Owl.  When the owl dies, its body is decomposed and its nutrients are returned back to the soil, where the chain repeats itself. Without decomposers, the food chain wouldn't be able to function because they are the final link and there would be no way for the nutrients of dead organisms to be recycled back into the food chain.

   
                                 

                   Producer                                                                     Herbivore-Consumer

                                   

Carnivore-Consumer                                                     Omnivore-Consumer

                                                         

                                                                               Decomposer

Helpful Websites
  Not only does this website have a lot of information about food chains, but it also gives you instructions on how to build a food web with your friends made with a ball of yarn. This seems like a fun and interactive activity that can help you understand food chains and food webs in a creative and hands-on way.

This website explains important words that are related to food chains and includes photos. It also provides distinguishing characteristics between a food chain and a food web.

This website allows you to create an animated food chain. It also explains the consequences of removing a specific organism from the food chain and how it affects the other organisms involved in the food chain.

Instructions

All About the Food Chain

Welcome, class!

Did you know that each living thing plays an extremely important role in the food chain of life, no matter how big or how small that living thing is? Each living thing or organism, must do their job in order for the food chain to function properly and be complete. Today, you will be learning all about producers, consumers and decomposers and the role they each play in the food chain.

1)You will research this topic by going to the following website. You may use this website too. Use search words such as: ecosystem, food chain, food web, producers, consumers and decomposers. Here is a short  video to watch once you are done researching.

2) Next, you will summarize what you have researched. Your summary should be approximately 10 sentences. Be sure to include the following in your summary:

a) Describe/characterize producers, consumers and decomposers. Provide an example of each.

b)  What special role do each of these types organisms play in the food chain?

c) Do you think that one type of organism is more important than the other(s) in the food chain? If so, why?

d) What do you think would happen if there weren't any_____________________in the food chain? (Choose: producer, consumer or decomposer). Support your answer with a scientific explanation.

3) Go to http://www.google.com/imghp and copy and paste an image of a producer, consumer and decomposer and label the images. Place the images underneath your summary.

4) Finally, find at least 2 websites that will further your knowledge on this topic. One of which must be interactive. Copy and paste the links and write a description for why each website is useful for learning about the food chain. 

Enjoy your first blogging assignment!