04. Feeding relationships

Outcomes:

• • be able to give definitions of the different types of consumer.

  • be able to explain the difference between a food chain and a food web.

  • explain the movement of energy in a food chain.

Activity #1:

You are given a copy of a piece of text about feeding relationships. Read it carefully and highlight in different colours the key vocabulary.

"What gives you energy to live? The food you eat and water you drink give you the energy needed to do walk, run, think, study, and so much more. All organisms – animals, plants, bacteria – need energy to live. Organisms can be divided into three main groups based on how they get energy to live – producers, consumers, and decomposers.

All organisms that make (or produce) their own food are called producers. Examples of producers are plants, algae, and bacteria. They use energy from the sun to power internal processes (like photosynthesis) to give them the energy they need to survive. Any organism that gets its food by eating other organisms is considered a consumer. There are three types of consumers – herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Herbivores are plant-eaters that feed on producers (rabbits, deer) Carnivores are meat-eaters that get food by eating other herbivores or other carnivores (lion, shark). Some carnivores are considered to be scavengers that eat the remains of dead organisms left behind by other animals (crabs, hyena). Omnivores are organisms that feed on both producers and other consumers. For example, most humans (unless you’re a strict vegetarian), raccoons, and bears are omnivores. Finally, bacteria and fungi are organisms that feed on the remains or wastes of other organisms – they are called decomposers.

In most ecosystems, energy begins with the sun. The sun gives energy to producers. Consumers then eat producers to give them energy and other consumers eat them and energy is transferred from one organism to the next! This forms what is called a food chain. When you create a food chain, you start with the sun and draw an arrow to what producer the sun gives energy to. Then you draw another arrow from the producer pointing to what it gives energy to and so on completing the chain. While a food chain shows just one energy path in an ecosystem, most organisms are part of more than one food chain. Scientists use what is called a food web to show several overlapping food chains. The food web shows multiple levels and interactions between living things using arrows to show in which direction the energy is being transferred. Think of a food chain or a food web with organisms you are familiar with! This process occurs all around us and in every ecosystem."

Activity #2:

Cut out and glue in the FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS foldable and create 3 flaps. Under each flap, answer each question with as much information as you can.

Next, choose at least 4 organisms from the sheet to create a food chain or a food web. Use arrows to show which direction energy is being transferred.

Finally, answer the writing prompt and add any additional information your teacher instructs.