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Food Web Definition

A food web is a model of intersecting food chains in an ecosystem. For example, it shows energy moving from plants to herbivores to carnivores.

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Food Webs

LESSON MATERIALSmove

Fun Facts

  • Energy in all food webs, like that of the African savannah, can be traced back to the sun.
  • Human actions like over-hunting and deforestation can affect food webs.
  • Human solutions, like amphibian crossings, can lead to food web balance.

Why Do We Need To Know About Food Web

Studying food webs helps us see how nature keeps itself balanced and why it’s important to protect this balance for the environment. This knowledge is key for taking care of wildlife and keeping nature diverse by making sure no animal population gets too big or too small.

Knowing about food webs is also useful in many jobs, like farming, studying soil, making laws about the environment, and working on green projects. It teaches us how to help nature stay healthy, like using compost to make soil better or finding ways to stop land from washing away. This shows us how everything in nature is connected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do animals eat other animals?
Animals eat other animals to obtain energy and building blocks (nutrients) in order to grow and repair.
What are producers and consumers and how do they get their names?
Plants are producers because they produce their own food through photosynthesis. Animals are consumers because they consume plants or other animals.
What role in the food web does the eagle play?
An eagle is an apex predator, meaning it is at the top of the food web. Nothing else will attack and eat an eagle. Eagles will eat things like birds, snakes, mice and other animals.
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