What is the food chain?

A food chain shows the feeding relationship between different living things in a particular environment or habitat. Often, a plant will begin a food chain because it can make its own food using energy from the sun. Also, a food chain represents a series of events in which food and energy are transferred from one organism in an ecosystem to another. Food chains show how energy is passed from the sun to producers, from producers to consumers, and from consumers to decomposers.

Organisms that can make their own food are called producers.

Consumers are animals that eat producers or other animals. The animal that eats the producer is called the primary consumer. The animal that eats the primary consumer is called a secondary consumer. The animal that eats the secondary consumer is called a third order consumer and so on to fourth, fifth, etc. The direction of arrows between the organisms shows who eats what.

A decomposer means an organism that breaks down large molecules from dead organisms into small molecules and returns important materials to the environment. Sooner or later, all living things die. When a plant or an animal dies, its body begins to break down into small pieces. Special living things called decomposers break down the body. A decomposer makes dead things into chemicals and then the chemicals go into the air, ground or water and is used again. Examples of decomposers are: earthworms, molds, fungus, bacteria, and mushrooms.

FOOD CHAIN VIDEO

This music video teaches about food chains and the pyramid of energy FOOD CHAINS A MUSICAL LECTURE BY GLENN WOLKENFELD

 

SOURCES AND READINGS

Alaska US Fish and Wildlife Service