FOOD CHAINThe process of eating and being

eaten…

All living things need food!

Animals Human

s

…and PLANTS

BUT WHERE DO PLANTS GET THEIR

FOOD?

plants can make or produce their

own food

HOW?

plants make their own food through a process known as .

. .

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

For

PHOTOSYNTHESIS to occur

some things are needed. . .

SUNLIGHT

CARBON DIOXIDE

WATER

The sun (light energy), water, minerals and carbon dioxide are all absorbed by

the plant. The plant then uses them to make glucose/sugar, which is the energy/food for

the plant.Oxygen is also produced by the plant in this cycle, which is then let off into the

airHave you

noticed how clean and pure

the air feels when there are plants around? They are filling

the air with oxygen.

Animals cannot make theirown food . . .

. . . they have to eat plants

. . . and other animals

So what is a food chain?A food chain shows how plants are eaten by animals and animals are eaten by other animals.

FOOD CHAIN shows how each living thing . . . gets food . . . how nutrients and energy are passed from creature to creatureFOOD CHAINS begin with plant-life and end with animal-life.

Do you know the PARTS of a

FOOD CHAIN?

The first one is PRODUCER. PLANTS are PRODUCERS. This is because they produce their own food in the form of glucose or sugar through the process of photosynthesis that was explained in the first part of this discussion..

FOOD CHAINAll plants are PRODUCERS.

A food chain starts with a plant.

The second part are the“CONSUMERS”

Animals are called consumers. This is because they cannot make their own food, so

they need to consume (eat) plants and/or animals.

There are three types of consumers:

Animals that eat only plants..

Animals that eat only animals..

Animals that eat both plants and animals…

What kind of consumer am I?

The last part of a food chain are the “DECOMPOSERS”. . .

When I die, these organisms will feast on my flesh as if there is

no more tomorrow. . .

Fungi and bacteria play an important role in nature.

They break down the unused dead material and turn them into nutrients in the soil, which plants

use to grow. They are an important part of the food chain.

Do you want to see an example of

food chain?

Simple food chain( also called short food chain) could start with grass, which is eaten by rabbits. Then the

rabbits are eaten by foxes.

Bigger Food Chains/ long food chains.

Here's another food chain, with a few more animals. It starts with acorns, which are eaten by mice.

The mice are eaten by snakes, and then finally the snakes are eaten by hawks.

At each link in the chain, energy is being transferred from one animal to another.

There can be even more links to any food chain.

Here another animal is added. It goes…

Grass to grasshopper to mouse to snake to hawk.

There is actually even more to this chain…

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS PICTURE?

There is actually even more to this chain. After a hawk dies, fungi (like mushrooms) and other decomposers break down the dead hawk, and turn the remains of the hawk into nutrients,

which are released into the soil. The nutrients (plus sun and water) then cause

the grass to grow. This becomes a nutrient cycle.

It's a full circle of life and energy!!

WE

call

that

FOOD CHAIN..

FOOD CHAIN in WATER

The plant grows using energy from the sun .

….. then

The plant is eaten by pond snails.

…. then

The plants and the pond snails are eaten by fish…

…. then

The fish are eaten by birds. 

And decomposed by..

Bacteria and fungi

THERES STILL

MORE…..

…ON LANDPlants grow using energy from the sun.

… THEN

The plants die down in the Autumn.

… then

They are decomposed by the weather and bacteria

….then

The decayed plants in the soil provide a home and food for worms

The worms are eaten by birds…

.. then

The small birds are eaten by the eagle..

… then

And the decomposers again..

THE END!!