Scientist:
Food Web & Food Chains of a Wetland Marsh Ecosystem
This is an ecosystem of a marsh wetland. This food web shows how living
things in the marsh wetland depend on one another. This interdependence is shown
with the arrows in the food web. The arrows show how each living thing becomes
energy for other living things. As each member is eaten by another, energy is being
transferred in the direction of the arrow.
For example:
The arrow shows that the snail eats the algae. This
means that the energy of the algae is transferred to the
snail.
There are both producers (living things that make their own food) and
consumers (living things that eat other living things for food) shown in the food web.
Which living things in this marsh wetland ecosystem are producers?
Which living things in this marsh wetland ecosystem are consumers?
Some of the consumers in this marsh ecosystem are herbivores (animals that eat
plants only), some are carnivores (animals that eat other animals only), and
omnivores (animals that eat both plants and other animals). Using the food web, put
the different consumers into the correct column.
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
Animals who hunt other animals for food are called predators. The animals who
are hunted are called the prey. Some predators feed on many different types of prey.
An animal can also be both a predator and a prey. Name one animal from the marsh
ecosystem that is both a predator and a prey.
Food webs are made up of several different food chains that overlap. Many
different food chains can be seen in this marsh food web. A specific food chain shows
how the energy starts with the sun and moves through the food web in a direct path.
One food chain example from this marsh ecosystem is:
SUN
CATTAILS
CRAYFISH
WATER BEETLE
DUCK
HAWK
The sun gives energy to the cattails, which gives energy to the crayfish, which gives
energy to the water beetle, which gives energy to the duck which gives energy to the
hawk.
In the space below, make at least two more food chains from the marsh food web.
Create a diagram with arrows and write a sentence that explains how the energy moves
through the food chain.