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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