Energy Flow and Food Chains

Energy Flow

• Energy flows from the Sun to plants to animals.

Producers

• Organisms that create their own food using sunlight.
• Examples: Trees, grass, seaweed, flowers.

Consumers

• Herbivores: Eat plants only (e.g., rabbits, deer, cows).
• Carnivores: Eat other animals (e.g., lions, eagles, sharks).
• Omnivores: Eat both plants and animals (e.g., humans, bears, raccoons).

Decomposers

• Organisms that break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil.
• Examples: Mushrooms, bacteria, worms.

Food Chains vs. Food Webs

• Food Chain: A simple path of energy flow.
• Food Web: Multiple interconnected food chains.
• Example Food Chains:
  • Forest: Tree → Squirrel → Owl
  • Ocean: Algae → Fish → Shark

Impact of Extinction

• If one species goes extinct, the food chain can collapse.
• Example: If all grasshoppers disappear, bird populations may decline due to lack of food.

Understanding Food Chains

• A food chain demonstrates how energy is transferred from one organism to another.
• Example of a food chain: Grass → Caterpillar → Bird → Eagle.