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The Difference Between Food Chains
and Food Webs
A food chain shows one energy path in an ecosystem.
A simple food chain always contains a producer, a primary
consumer and a secondary consumer and a decomposer. But
most organisms are part of more than one food chain.
Scientists often use a food web to show a more complete
picture of the flow of energy in an ecosystem. A food web is
a system of several overlapping food chains.
Directions: In the food chain below draw in the arrows and
add a decomposer.
Consumers are classified by what they eat. Consumers
that eat only plants are called herbivores. Deer, chipmunks
and most insects are herbivores. Consumers that eat only
animals are called carnivores. Badgers, cougars and wolves
are carnivores. A consumer that eats both plant and animals
is called an omnivore. Birds, goats and monkeys are
omnivores. An omnivore can play more than one role in an
ecosystem. For example, a large fish in in a pond will eat
both little fish and algae (microscopic plants). When it eats
the algae it is a primary consumer. When it eats little fish it
is a secondary consumer.
Directions:
1. In the food web below use a different colored pencil to
draw in each simple food chain.
