Classwork:

Food chains and webs

Group______ Name Marcelo P. Isassi Pez

Miguel Villarreal Salazar

Introduction
Energy flows through the ecosystem from the suns rays that reach our planet to the energy found
in each organism within it. Producers such as plants, convert sunlight into chemical energy that is
then consumed by consumers called herbivores. Next, the energy obtained from them is
transferred to the next consumers called carnivores. Finally, the energy is assimilated by the last
group of the trophic level, the decomposers.
In nature, the food chains are interconnected with each other forming food webs. Here, one
organism forms part in various food chains, so that pasture not only serves as a source of energy
for grasshoppers, but also for rabbits and other organisms. This way, a complex structure of
relationships between organisms is formed in which energy passes from one trophic level to
another.
The chemical energy is used by the cells of organisms to carry out cellular respiration, yielding ATP
as a product. The ATP molecule is an energy carrier that provides the energy to carry out different
cellular functions that allow organisms to move, think, reproduce and survive.
Materials
Copy of the activity
Internet
Instructions
1. Using information from your eBook, or the internet, write the definitions for the following
terms:
a) Autotrophs: require only inorganic nutrients and an outside energy source to produce organic
nutrients for their won use and for all members of a community. They produce food.
b) heterotrophs: need a source of organic nutrients.
c) producers: require only inorganic nutrients and an outside energy source to produce organic
nutrients for their won use and for all members of a community. They produce food.
d) primary consumers: Herbivores, they feed from mainly plants.
e) secondary consumers Carnivores, they feed mainly from primary consumers
f) food chain: Organisms that are linked together in a straight line, according to feeding or
predator-prey relationships and show a single path of energy flow
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g) food web: All the interconnections between the food chains in a given ecosystem
h) trophic level: is composed of all the organisms that feed at a particular link in a food chain.
i) decomposers: acquire nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter, including animal wastes
(bacteria and fungi). They release inorganic substances that are taken up by plants once more.
j) Scavengers: animal or organism that feeds of dead matter
2. Identify the role of each organism in the ecosystem with a P if it is a producer, C1 if it is a
primary consumer, C2 if it is a secondary consumer, D if it is a decomposer or S if it is a
scavenger.
Organism

Role of organism

Bird

C1

Caterpillar

C1

Oak tree

Chipmunk

C1

Mouse

C1

Fruit

Nuts

Detritus

Earth worm

Rabbit

C1

Hawk

C2

Snake

C2

Salamander

C1

Shrew

C2

Fungi

Fox

C2

Carnivorous invertebrates

C2


3. Make a food web as follows:
a) Write the names of all the organisms listed above arbitrarily.
b) Draw a circle around the name of each organism.
c) Draw an arrow from the organism to his food, with the arrow pointing to the
organisms food.

4. Find and draw 3 different food chains that appear in your food web. In each food chain
you should show the producers and at least 2 levels of consumers.








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5. Find and draw a detritus food chain.
Detritus, Primary Consumer, Secondary Consumer, Tertiary Consumer

Bacteria

Lobster

Fish

Beaver

6. Answer the following questions.
a) Identify 3 organisms that are at the top of the food chain.
Sharks, Jaguars, Tigers
b) Explain what would happen if the primary consumers were to become extinct?
All the secondary consumers would be affected, because their primary food source is
nowhere to be found.


c) Explain what would happen if the decomposers were to become extinct?
All the producers would be affected, because they cant grown since the excrement of
the decomposers is used as energy for them.


d) Which type of diagram shows a single path of energy flow?
In a circle


e) Why is only a portion of the organic nutrients made by autotrophs passed on to
heterotrophs?
Because they eat it and the consumers get their energy from them.

f)

What happens to the food that is eaten by a herbivore but never digested?
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Evaluation
This activity will be graded using the following rubric:
Evaluation criteria

Analysis questions,
food chains and
role of organisms

The report has all

the questions
answered correctly.
It presents the food
chains solicited and
determines the type
of organism that
composes it.

The report has all

the questions
answered correctly.
It presents the food
chains solicited, but
incorrectly
determines the type
of organism that
composes it.

The report has all

the questions
answered, but they
are not all correct.
It presents the food
chains solicited, but
incorrectly
determines the type
of organism that
composes it.

Food web

A food web was

constructed that
included all the
organisms
established in the
activity, and it was
presented in a neat
and orderly
fashion.

A food web was

constructed that
included all the
organisms
established in the
activity, but it was
not presented in a
neat and orderly
fashion.

A food web was

constructed that
did not include all
the organisms
established in the
activity, nor was
presented in a neat
and orderly
fashion.

Team work

The members of
the team worked
together in the
activity and the
elaboration of the
report and finished
their work on time.

The members of the

team worked
together in the
activity and the
elaboration of the
report but did not
finish their work on
time.

The members of
the team did not
work together in
the activity and the
elaboration of the
report, nor did they
finish their work on
time.

Definitions

All 10 terms were

correctly defined

9-7 terms were

correctly defined.

6 or less terms were

correctly defined.