Charles Ener
Hunter Meredith
Matthew Moerbe
Nicholas Crabtree
Tony Nguyen
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A food chain is a term used to show how
energy and nutrients flow through nature.
The energy and nutrients pass from an
organism when it is eaten or otherwise taken
by another organism.
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Every different environment holds its own series
of different food chains, many of which will
overlap with each other at some point.
A rainforest for example, will have a large number
of food chains, each involving many different
animals.
The food chains in the Arctic Circle, on the other
hand, will be shorter, and less in number. And of
course, they will involve different animals.
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The Producers make up the first part of any
food chain.
Producers are generally plants.
To some extent, everything in the food chain
gets energy from a Producer.
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Producers create their own energy through the
process of photosynthesis, using only soil and
sunlight.
Producers will be eaten at some point by
herbivores or omnivores.
These animals –known as Consumers- will
then gain a portion of their energy.
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There are two kinds of Consumers:
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Primary Consumers
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Secondary Consumers
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These are the first of the Consumers.
Primary Consumers are either herbivores or
omnivores.
As animals, they are incapable of producing
their own energy in the way that plants do.
So, they eat plants.
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Part of the energy that is absorbed from the
plants travels on to fuel the activities of the
animal that ate them.
The rest is lost.
The Primary Consumers must keep eating
plants to gain energy.
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A mouse (Consumer) will eat grass (Producer)
in order to keep up its energy.
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These animals may not necessarily be present
in a given food chain.
These animals are either omnivores or
carnivores.
They gain their energy by feeding off of the
Primary Consumers.
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Secondary Consumers will hunt consumers, or
scavenge ones that have recently died for
sustenance.
The amount of energy they receive from their
prey is slightly less than what the prey had
gotten from the plants it had eaten.
There may be still more Consumers in a food
chain, which will feed off of the Secondary
Consumers
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A snake (Secondary Consumer) will eat a
mouse (Primary Consumer) for energy.
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But sometimes even Secondary Consumers can
become prey.
This is the case with this snake becoming food
for this predatory bird.
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The Decomposers are the last official step in the
food chain.
Decomposers can not typically be seen by the
naked eye.
They consist of tiny, microscopic bacteria and
fungi.
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Decomposers have a disgusting, but incredibly
vital role in the food chain.
When a Consumer dies, the bacteria eat away
at the remains of its body.
The remains are disposed of, and the bacteria
move on.
But, the nutrients they eat are released back
into the soil.
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This allows the Producers (plants) to take the
nutrients in through their roots.
With this, the entire food chain starts over
again from the first step.
This means that the nutrients and potential for
energy always remain in the environment for
organisms to partake in.
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Food chains are an essential part of our
ecosystem.
They ensure that energy and nutrients are
properly distributed throughout the
environment.
Things remain organized so that nothing goes
hungry.

1) What is a food chain?
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2) What is a Producer’s role in the food chain?
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3) What kind of organism is a Producer?
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4) How many varieties of Consumers are there?
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5) What is a Consumer’s role in the food chain?
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6) What is the diet of a Primary Consumer?
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7) What is the diet of a Secondary Consumer?
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8) What is a Decomposer’s role in the food chain?
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9) Generally, what kind of organism is a
Decomposer?
10) What is the overall purpose of a food chain?