The Food Chain
All living organisms depend on one another for food. By exploring the relationships of organisms that feed on one another, we begin to understand how certain organisms are related to each other.
The arrows in a food chain show the flow of energy, from the sun or hydrothermal vent to a top predator. As the energy flows from organism to organism, energy is lost at each step. A network of many food chains is called a food web.
A food chain is a simplified way to show the relationship of organisms that feed on each other. It's helpful to classify animals in a simple food chain by what they eat, or where they get their energy.
All living organisms depend on one another for food. By exploring the relationships of organisms that feed on one another, we begin to understand how certain organisms are related to each other.
The arrows in a food chain show the flow of energy, from the sun or hydrothermal vent to a top predator. As the energy flows from organism to organism, energy is lost at each step. A network of many food chains is called a food web.
A food chain is a simplified way to show the relationship of organisms that feed on each other. It's helpful to classify animals in a simple food chain by what they eat, or where they get their energy.
Green plants, called producers, form the basis of the aquatic food chain. They get their energy from the sun and make their own food through photosynthesis. In the Great Lakes, producers can be microscopic phytoplankton (plant plankton) algae, aquatic plants like Elodea, or plants like cattails that emerge from the water's surface.
Herbivores, such as ducks, small fish and many species of zooplankton (animal plankton) eat plants. Carnivores (meat eaters) eat other animals and can be microscopic (e.g., water mites), small (e.g., frog) or large (e.g., lake trout). Omnivores are animals (including humans) that eat both plants and animals. Each is an important part of the food chain.
In reality, food chains overlap at many points - because animals often feed on multiple species - forming complex food webs. Food web diagrams depict all feeding interactions among species in real communities. These complex diagrams often appear as intricate networks of lines connecting the species.
Herbivores, such as ducks, small fish and many species of zooplankton (animal plankton) eat plants. Carnivores (meat eaters) eat other animals and can be microscopic (e.g., water mites), small (e.g., frog) or large (e.g., lake trout). Omnivores are animals (including humans) that eat both plants and animals. Each is an important part of the food chain.
In reality, food chains overlap at many points - because animals often feed on multiple species - forming complex food webs. Food web diagrams depict all feeding interactions among species in real communities. These complex diagrams often appear as intricate networks of lines connecting the species.
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