Reading & Comprehension: The Food Chain

Activity 1: (Led by Dominic) 

Activity 2: (Led by Jazier)

Food Chain 

New word alert: ecosystem

An ecosystem is made up of all of the living and nonliving things in an area. This includes all of the plants, animals, and other living things that make up the communities of life in an area. An ecosystem also includes water, rocks, soil, and sand.

Every living plant and animal must have energy to survive. Plants rely on the soil, water, and the sun for energy. Animals rely on plants as well as other animals for energy.

In an ecosystem, plants and animals all rely on each other to live. A food chain describes how different animals eat each other, starting out with a plant and ending with an animal. For example, you could write the food chain for a lion like this:

grass ---> zebra ---> lion

There are names to help describe each link of the food chain. The names depend mostly on what an animal eats and how it contributes to the energy of the ecosystem.

• Producers - Plants are producers. This is because they produce energy for the ecosystem. They do this because they absorb energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. They also need water and nutrients from the soil, but plants are the only place where new energy is made.
  
  
• Consumers - Animals are consumers. This is because they don't produce energy, they just use it up. Animals that eat plants are called primary consumers or herbivores. Animals that eat other animals are called secondary consumers or carnivores. Some animals play both roles, eating both plants and animals. They are called omnivores.
  
  
  
  
  
• Decomposers - Decomposers eat decaying matter (like dead plants and animals). They help put nutrients back into the soil for plants to eat. Examples of decomposers are worms, bacteria, and fungi.

Questions: 

1. What are the three elements which plants need in order to survive?

2. What are the two energy sources for animals?

3. What is the purpose of a food chain?

4. Give the names of two producers. (From your memory)

5. Explain why photosynthesis is important to the ecosystem. 

6. Explain why decomposers are important to the ecosystem.