Food Chains and Webs
Food webs explain relationships between organisms, both living and non living, among a particular population. Food chains show the transfer of energy between organisms. Food webs are a grouping of food chains in a particular ecosystem. The relationships tell us what eats what by showing how the living things get food and energy. These food webs include many organisms which can easily make them long and complex. They also describe relationships between predators and prey.
How are the ways Bill Nye the Science Guy shows us everything is connected? Can you give an example of a relationship between two organisms that he discussed?
These pictures are from the video above. When the scientist removes the brick (picture 1) what is the effect it has on the structure? What does the removal of the object represent in real life if the block structure represents an ecosystem?
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Here are some examples of various food chains
These food chains show the interactions between different animals of an ecosystem. Any living thing needs food to survive. Some animals eat other animals in order to survive. As shown above, the owl eats the shrew for food in order to survive. The owl is therefore the predator and the shew is the prey. The predator is an animal who eats another animal and the prey is the animal who gets eaten.
Some animals avoid becoming prey by blending into their environment. Through special body parts and behaviors, animals are able to adapt and survive. Some animals have good hearing to escape their predators in the dark, other animals have long legs to run away from predators. Both predators and prey have special characteristics that help them either run away from or catch their predators or prey. The adaptations of certain animals develop over many generations, depending on climates and the environment.
Some animals avoid becoming prey by blending into their environment. Through special body parts and behaviors, animals are able to adapt and survive. Some animals have good hearing to escape their predators in the dark, other animals have long legs to run away from predators. Both predators and prey have special characteristics that help them either run away from or catch their predators or prey. The adaptations of certain animals develop over many generations, depending on climates and the environment.
Adaptations
These animals are using adaptation to blend into their environments. For these animals, it is important to blend in on order to avoid predators. As you look at the pictures, you can see that it is difficult to see the animals because they have adapted to look similar to their environment. This process is called camouflage.
The skin of this animal has been adapted to resemble the tree in order
to avoid predators. This adaptation was an example of a survival method.
to avoid predators. This adaptation was an example of a survival method.
