Food Chains
Living things depend on one another to live. A food chain is the movement of food energy in a sequence of living things. It shows the path of food energy in an ecosystem from plants to animals. Food chains are different in different ecosystems.
Here in the food chain shown, grass is a producer. A grasshopper gets energy from eating a grass. The frog gets energy from eating the grasshopper. The snake gets energy from eating the frog. Finally, an eagle gets energy from eating the snake.
Living things depend on one another to live. A food chain is the movement of food energy in a sequence of living things. It shows the path of food energy in an ecosystem from plants to animals. Food chains are different in different ecosystems.
Here in the food chain shown, grass is a producer. A grasshopper gets energy from eating a grass. The frog gets energy from eating the grasshopper. The snake gets energy from eating the frog. Finally, an eagle gets energy from eating the snake.
1. The first link in a food chain is always a producer. In most ecosystems, the producers are green plants. The grass, use the energy in sunlight to make food through the process of photosynthesis.
2. The second link in the food chain shown is a grasshopper. A grasshopper is a herbivore. An herbivore is an animal that eats only plants.
3. The third and fourth links in any food chain are either carnivores or omnivores. An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. A carnivore is an animal that eats only other animals. The eagle is a carnivore by eating the snake.
2. The second link in the food chain shown is a grasshopper. A grasshopper is a herbivore. An herbivore is an animal that eats only plants.
3. The third and fourth links in any food chain are either carnivores or omnivores. An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. A carnivore is an animal that eats only other animals. The eagle is a carnivore by eating the snake.