Food chains and
food webs
We Are Learning To…
…use words correctly to describe
feeding relationships between
animals and plants.
…show how energy flows through food
chains
…interlink food chains to form food
webs
What I’m Looking For:
1. Construct your own food chain
2. Spot at least two food chains from a
food web
3. Point arrows in the right direction in
a food chain
4. Construct a food web in a group
5. Be able to answer quiz at the end
Trout
Kingfisher
Pondweed
Minnow
(little fish)
Insect larvae
Heron
Pondweed
Insect
larvae
Minnow
(little fish)
http://www.riverlee.org.uk/science/scie-02/scie-02a.htm
Kingfisher
Your turn
• In pairs write down two food chains.
• Perhaps one of the organisms in it could
be you!
• (Hopefully not being eaten by a wolf )
• Draw in arrows pointing from the thing
being eaten to the thing eating it.
Pondweed
Insect
larvae
Minnow
(little fish)
Kingfisher
Energy
Flow
Which
way does
the energy flow?
• Which way do the sun’s rays go?
What is it used for?
How is the sun’s energy used?
Plankton & Algae
Food chain: a flow of energy in a habitat
Sun allows grass to grow
Grass is eaten by
Rabbits which are eaten by
Owls
Food chain: a flow of energy in a habitat
Grass is eaten by
Rabbits which are eaten by
Owls
Food chain: a flow of energy in a habitat
Grass is eaten by
Rabbits which are eaten by
Owls
Grass
Rabbit
Owl
The arrow means ‘is eaten by’ and
always goes towards the consumer
Except that Owls also eat
Shrews as well as Rabbits
Shrew
Owl
Grass
Rabbit
Shrews also eat other plant
matter as well as Grass
Plant
matter
Shrew
Grass
Rabbit
Owl
Shrews also have to watch out
for weasels that might eat them
Weasel
Plant
matter
Grass
Shrew
Owl
Rabbit
And snails and worms eat the
plant matter too.
Weasel
Plant
matter
Grass
Worm Snail
Shrew
Owl
Rabbit
Food Chain to Food Web
Let’s complete ours with
hedgehogs (that eat snails & worms) and
foxes (that eat pretty much anything that
moves!)
Weasel
Plant
matter
Grass
Worm Snail
Shrew
Owl
Rabbit
Hedgehog
Fox
How many food chains are there now?
Weasel
Plant
matter
Grass
Worm Snail
Shrew
Owl
Rabbit
Hedgehog
Write down as many as you can in 3 minutes!
Fox
Plant
matter
Shrew
Weasel
Fox
Grass
Shrew
Weasel
Fox
Plant
matter
Shrew
Owl
Grass
Shrew
Owl
Plant
matter
Worm
Hedgehog
Fox
Plant
matter
Snail
Hedgehog
Fox
Grass
Rabbit
Fox
Grass
Rabbit
Fox
Food Chain to Food Web
The original food chain has expanded into a
food web with 8 interlinked chains as more
organisms have been added
Food webs are normal in natural habitats as
there is nearly always more than one
organism that eats something else.
Some Key Words
• Producer
• Consumer
–Herbivore
–Carnivore
–Omnivore
CARNIVORES
PRODUCERS
OMNIVORES
HERBIVORES
Your turn
• In groups of four use the pictures in the
envelopes to make your own food webs.
• Start off with individual food chains
• Then try to link them together to make a
food web.
• Draw in some arrows – the right way
round!
CARNIVORE
HERBIVORE
PRODUCER
Kingfisher
Oak
Plankton
Squirrel
Daffodil
Mouse
Snail
Fox
Tree
Well Done
Everyone!
What We Have Done:
1. Constructed food chains
2. Spotted at least two food chains
from a food web
3. Point arrows in the right direction in
a food chain
4. Constructed a food web in a group
5. Answered quiz at the end
HERBIVORES
CARNIVORES
Caterpillar
Mouse
Woodlouse
Owl
Snake
Insect larvae
Plankton
Snail
Pondweed
Dead material
Beetles
Spiders
Fish
Greenfly
Hawthorn
Dead material Woodlouse
Small bird
Hawk
Weasel
PRODUCERS
Woodland
Pond
Hedgerow
Oak
Grass
Small plants
Dead material