Food chains and webs Flashcards
What is a food chain?
A diagram which shows what an organism eats and the transfer of energy between organisms
What is the first organism in a food chain called?
A producer
How do producers obtain their energy?
They transfer the energy from the sun into glucose via photosynthesis
What are the second organisms in a food chain called?
Herbivores
How do herbivores obtain their energy?
They eat plants (producers) and release the energy in their stored glucose
What are the third organisms in a food chain called?
Carnivores
What do carnivores eat?
Other animals
What do the arrows on a food chain show?
The energy being transferred from one organism to another
What does the term ‘prey’ mean?
An organism that is eaten by another animal
What doe the term ‘predator’ mean?
An organism that eats other organisms
Does all of the energy from one organism get transferred to the next?
No, some is transferred to the environment as heat and waste products
What is a food web?
A set of linked food chains
Why are food webs more realistic than food chains?
Most animals eat more than one type of organism
