CLASS COPY
Building a Food Web Assignment
Building your Food Web: (10 points)
1. Cut out the producer and consumer blocks from the attached page. Keep the title of your web.
2. The sun is the source of energy in all food webs. On your paper, draw a sun in pencil (in case you want
to change the sun’s position later). Place your producer blocks next to the sun. Do not paste anything
until all the organisms have been placed.
3. Place two or three animals around the producers. If one animal can eat another, join them with an
arrow (use a pencil). Remember that arrows represent the flow of energy from one organism to
another and consequently must be drawn in the right direction. Continue to add the rest of the
organisms and connect using arrows.
4. When your food web is complete and neatly arranged, paste the pictures to the paper and retrace your
arrows with pen or marker to complete the web.
Discussion: Answer the following questions (in complete sentences where appropriate) on a
sheet of notebook paper.
1. Under EACH organism picture, list its niche using the following letters. P = producer, H = herbivore, O =
omnivore, C = carnivore. 5 points
2. Approximately how many food chains did you produce your food web? 5 points
3. Name TWO abiotic factors that would affect your food web and describe how your food web would be
affected. 5 points
4. Write out a five part food chain from each food web (one aquatic and one forest) beginning with the
sun to the final consumer. Make sure to specify which food chain you are showing. 5 points
5. Name an organism from each food web that uses photosynthesis for energy production. Explain in
detail how this organism performs photosynthesis. 10 points
6. Name an organism from each food web that uses cellular respiration for energy production. Explain in
detail how this organism performs cellular respiration. 10 points
7. Describe where the decomposers would fit into this food web. Why are decomposers so important?
10 points
8. If the producer in your food chain from question 2 contained 20 000 Kcal in energy, how much energy
would be found in the other levels of your food chain? Draw an energy pyramid to represent this.
10 points
9. Pick one producer from your food web and pretend it suddenly disappeared. How many organisms
would it affect? Would any other organisms disappear entirely? Why or why not? 10 points
10. Now pick one of the highest consumers from your food web and pretend it suddenly disappeared. How
many organisms would be negatively affected by this change? Would any disappear? Why or why not?
10 points
11. Which type of organisms are the most important in your food web? Explain your answer. 10 points
CLASS COPY
WHO EATS WHO??
Forest Food Web
Aquatic Food Web
Snake
insects, mouse
Clam
seaweed
Spider
insects
Starfish
protozoa
Rabbit
grass, berries
Lobster
algae, protozoa
Grasshopper grass, oak leaves
Albatross
flounder, squid, shrimp
Fox
mouse, chipmunk
Fur seal
octopus, krill
Mouse
berries, flowers
Blue whale
krill
Bees
flowers
Flounder
phytoplankton
Wolf
fox, deer
Squid
tuna, shrimp
Frog
insects
Sea turtles
seaweed
Chipmunk
oak acorns, berries, pine cones
Shrimp
phytoplankton
Deer
berries, grass
Elephant seal
tuna, octopus
Ant
pine needles, oak leaves
Killer whale
tuna, seals
Bear
berries, chipmunk, rabbit
Krill
algae
Bird
insects
Octopus
clams, starfish, crab
Owl
mouse, rabbit, chipmunk
Crab
protozoa
Bobcat
fox, owl, deer
Penguins
flounder, squid
Tuna
flounder, krill, shrimp