Food Chains Worksheets

Answer Keys Here

A food chain is drawings that display the hierarchy of the flow of energy in any system. The chain always begins with a producer because they can make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Each following length of the chain display the organisms that preys or feeds off of that organism. The top of the food chain is composed of predators that do not have a natural predator of their own. These worksheets help students understand and create these visual diagrams. They also work on interpreting them to get a better understanding of a particular ecosystem.

Food Chains Worksheets:

What is a Food Chain? - Every organism must eat to survive. Plants make their own food using water and sunlight through a process called photosynthesis. They also draw nutrients from the soil in which they live.

QUESTIONS: What is a Food Chain? - In the example presented, the owl is a ________. These questions are focused on the introduction of this topic.

Food Webs - These visuals are used to connect a group or series of food chains that are often in close proximity to one another. They can really help you understand the inner workings of an ecosystem quickly.

QUESTIONS: Food Webs - Which term is a more accurate representation of the relationship between organisms in an ecosystem, chain or web? Why?

Decomposers - Dead plants, animals, and animal waste are collectively known as "organic matter." Organisms that break down dead plants and animals and return their nutrients to the soil are called decomposers. There are more than a hundred thousand kinds of decomposers.

QUESTIONS: Decomposers - Which of the following is NOT a compound that decomposers release back into the soil?

The Human Food Chain - Humans are considered to be at the top of the food chain because they eat both plants and animals, but nothing usually eats humans. Like all of these diagrams, plants are at the foundation of it all.

QUESTIONS: The Human Food Chain - What kinds of organisms are the first link in the food chain?

Biodiversity - Biodiversity is a contraction of the phrase biological diversity, which means that there are many kinds of living organisms that are all different from - and related to - each other.

QUESTIONS: Biodiversity - Why is biodiversity sometimes called the web of life?

Trophic Levels and Food Pyramids - The plants and animals in an ecosystem are interconnected because they are dependent on one another for their survival.

QUESTIONS: Trophic Levels - One thing that is often lost is that as energy transfers from level to level, 90% of the energy is lost. Only 10% of the energy is retained and carries over ot the next trophic level.

Producers and Consumers - The plants and animals in an ecosystem are dependent on one another for their survival. The relationship between organisms with regards to who eats what (or who) is most simply represented by a concept called a food chain.

QUESTIONS: Producers and Consumers - The relationship between organisms with regards to who eats what (or who) is most simply represented by what?

Scavengers and Detrivores - A scavenger is an organism that eats dead or decaying matter. A scavengers can be an animal, a bird, or an insect. Scavengers are important to an ecosystem because they eat and help break down what is left of dead animals and plants.

QUESTIONS: Scavengers and Detrivores - Why are scavengers important to an ecosystem?

Photosynthesis and Food Chains - The energy that all organisms need to survive is created or consumed in the form of food. Animals eat plants and other animals for food, but most plants do not eat other organisms for energy.

QUESTIONS: Photosynthesis and Food Chains - Which of the following does a plant use ATP for?

Types of Food Chains - A predator is an animal that hunts other animals and eats them. The animal that is eaten is called the prey. An animal that eats other animals is called a carnivore.

QUESTIONS: Types of Food Chains - Why are there three different types of food chains?

Why Are They Important?

Being able to comprehend and use a food chain is vital component in understanding an ecosystem and the relationship between the organisms in them. They show us the flow of energy in the system. They show us exactly how each organism is dependent on the one below it for energy. If one species in the chain begins to dwindle in number, all the organisms will need to compete harder for food, and it will lead to rougher times for those organisms and ultimately less of them. Scientists use food chains to communicate the balance that exists in an ecosystem. This can lead to better planning and protection of many different species. If an environmental factor, such as increased temperature or pollution, begins to persist it affect one link in the chain. Scientists can then look at options to help those organisms to help balance the system.