Transcript of W HAT ARE THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF A FOOD CHAIN AND WEB ? Raiyan.H May 1, 2012 9G Food Chains and...
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- W HAT ARE THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF A FOOD CHAIN AND WEB ?
Raiyan.H May 1, 2012 9G Food Chains and webs
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- Differences between the food chain and food web Food chainFood
web a term explaining the relationship between a predator and its
prey in a defined ecosystem is a wider range of relationships
between producers, consumers, and decomposers a series of steps in
which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten network
of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among
the various organisms in an ecosystem the hierarchy of consumption
of food from Sun to Plant to Herbivore It acknowledges only one
single string of connected plants/animals. a diagram showing the
various plants and animals in an ecosystem in relation to each
other. It includes many consumers of each different level, There
are many food chains within a food web There has to be one creature
or element as the top of the hierarchy. One creature is not
necessarily at the top of the hierarchy
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- A food web is a diagram that shows more complex relationships
among producers, consumers, and decomposers. It shows the many
interconnected food chains that exist in an ecosystem. An ecosystem
is all the living things and nonliving things that interact in a
specific part of the environment. W HAT IS A F OOD WEB?
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- P RODUCERS Organisms that can make their own food are called
producers. Plants and grasses are producers because they are able
to produce energy for themselves from nonliving sources(the sun)
through the process known as photosynthesis. These are also known
as autotrophs, since they make their own food. Ultimately, every
(aerobic) organism is dependent on plants for oxygen (which is the
waste product from photosynthesis) and food (which is produced in
the form of glucose through photosynthesis).
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- C ONSUMERS These are animals who feed on plants or other
animals are called Consumers. Consumers are also known as
heterotrophs. There are 3 types of consumers as follows: They
include herbivores (animals that eat plants), carnivores (animals
that eat other animals), Omnivores (eats plants and other animals)
parasites (animals that live off of other organisms by harming it),
and scavengers (animals that eat dead animal carcasses). ONLY
Herbivores: An animal that feeds ONLY on plants. ONLY Carnivores:
An animal that feeds ONLY on flesh Omnivores: An animal or person
that eats plants and animals.
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- Decomposers Decomposers and scavengers are organisms that break
down wastes and dead plants and animals. These are mainly bacteria
and fungi that convert dead matter into gases such as carbon and
nitrogen to be released back into the air, soil, or water. Fungi,
and other organisms that break down dead organic matter are known
as saprophytes. Even though most of us hate those mushrooms or
molds, they actually play a very important role.. Decomposers are
necessary since they recycle the nutrients to be used again by
producers. Parasites Parasites are organisms that attack other
organisms called hosts but do not kill them. They usually live on
or in the body of their host. One example of parasites are
ticks.
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- Types of consumers: There are 3 major types of consumers as
listed below: ONLYHerbivores: An animal that feeds ONLY on plants.A
herbivore is a animal that only eats plants or grass. Herbivores
cannot eat meat, they have a special digestive system which can
only digest plants ONLYCarnivores: An animal that feeds ONLY on
flesh. Animals that eat other animals, like carnivores and
omnivores are important to any ecosystem, because they keep other
species from getting overpopulated. ANDOmnivores: An animal or
person that eats animals AND plants. Some omnivores will hunt and
eat their food, like carnivores, eating herbivores and other
omnivores. Some others are scavengers and will eat dead matter.
Many will eat eggs from other animals.
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- A basic food chain First there is a primary source- plants and
vegetation. Then there is who consume these primary producers,
which are usually herbivores called primary consumers. Those who
consume the primary consumers are carnivores who are referred to as
secondary consumers. The secondary consumers who are also are
consumed by tertiary consumers who are also carnivores. Finally the
Quaternary consumers take in the tertiary consumers also are
carnivores.
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- How a Food chain works? Grasses are producers and are
autotrophs because they make their own food also known as the
primary source Deer are a secondary consumer as well as an
herbivore, because it feeds on only grasses and vegetation.
Raccoons are a teritiary consumer and are carnivores because it
feeds on meat only. Lions are Quaternary consumers who are also
carnivores. In every food chain the later consumer will always
receive less energy than the one it has consumed.
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- H UMAN AFFECT ON THE FOOD CHAIN How have humans affected the
food chain? When we spray pesticides, we put the food chain in
danger. By breaking one link on the chain means all of the
organisms above that link are in threat of extinction (like the
domino effect). By hunting animals nearly to extinction, everything
above the animal in the food chain is put in danger. A 'chain
reaction' in the food chain can be perilous! Since the food chain
provides energy that all living things must have in order to
survive, it is imperitive that we protect it.
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- T HE I MPORTANCE OF F OOD C HAINS AND WEBS In conclusion, food
chains helps to keep our environment balanced. We get energy
through eating, or consuming, plants or animals as food. If there
were no grass then a rabbit would not be able to eat it and gain
its energy, so the wolf wouldn't be able to eat the rabbit and
obtain its energy because the rabbit would have died of starvation,
and it goes as a chain reaction. Food chain studies have had an
important role in ecotoxilogocoly studies by tracing the pathways
biomagnifications. I will end with a well-known saying- Mosquitoes
remind us that we are not as highMosquitoes remind us that we are
not as high up on the food chain as we thinkup on the food chain as
we think