Food Webs
📖 Learn
In an ecosystem, all living things are connected through what they eat. While a food chain shows a simple path of energy from one organism to another, real ecosystems are much more complex. That's where food webs come in!
🕸️ What is a Food Web?
A food web is a diagram that shows ALL the feeding relationships in an ecosystem. It's made up of many food chains that overlap and connect, showing how energy flows through the entire community of organisms.
Food Chain vs. Food Web
A single path showing energy transfer from one organism to the next
Multiple connected paths showing all feeding relationships in an ecosystem
Roles in a Food Web
Every organism in a food web has a specific role based on how it gets energy:
🔄 Understanding the Roles
- Producers make their own food using sunlight (photosynthesis)
- Primary Consumers (herbivores) eat only plants
- Secondary Consumers eat primary consumers
- Tertiary Consumers eat secondary consumers (top predators)
- Decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients
Interactive Food Web
Click on any organism below to see what it eats and what eats it!
👆 Click an organism to learn more!
See what each organism eats and what eats it in this food web.
💡 Examples
Test your understanding of food webs with this ecosystem challenge!
In this food chain, what role does the rabbit play?
✏️ Practice
Answer these questions to check your understanding of food webs.
✅ Check Your Understanding
🕸️ Food Web
Shows ALL feeding relationships in an ecosystem - many connected food chains.
🌿 Producers
Make their own food through photosynthesis (plants, algae).
🐰 Primary Consumers
Herbivores that eat only plants (rabbits, caterpillars, deer).
🐍 Secondary Consumers
Carnivores or omnivores that eat primary consumers.
🦅 Tertiary Consumers
Top predators that eat other consumers (hawks, lions, sharks).
🍄 Decomposers
Break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Food webs show how all organisms in an ecosystem are connected through feeding relationships
- Energy flows from producers → primary consumers → secondary consumers → tertiary consumers
- Decomposers are essential for recycling nutrients
- Changes to one species can affect many others in the food web
🚀 Next Steps
- Draw a food web for your local ecosystem (backyard, park, or pond)
- Learn about how energy transfers through the food web in the next lesson
- Research what happens when invasive species enter a food web
- Think about how humans fit into different food webs