Food Chain

Key Notes :

Definition of Food Chain:

• A food chain shows how energy is passed from one living thing to another.
• It begins with plants and ends with animals.

Producers:

• Plants are called producers because they make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide (photosynthesis).

Consumers:

Animals that eat plants or other animals are called consumers.

There are three types of consumers:

• Herbivores: Animals that eat only plants (e.g., deer, rabbits).

• Carnivores: Animals that eat other animals (e.g., lions, wolves).

• Omnivores: Animals that eat both plants and animals (e.g., humans, bears).

Decomposers:

• Decomposers like fungi and bacteria break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil.

Energy Transfer:

• Energy flows from the sun to plants (producers) and then to animals (consumers).
• Each step in the food chain shows how energy is passed on.

Example of a Simple Food Chain:

• Sun → Grass (producer) → Grasshopper (herbivore) → Frog (carnivore) → Eagle (top carnivore).

Importance of Balance:

• All parts of the food chain depend on each other. If one part is removed, the balance is affected, which can harm the environment.

Food Web:

Multiple food chains in an ecosystem form a food web, showing how animals are connected through various food chains.

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