Food Chain
Food chain tells us how energy is transferred from one organism to another.
It is a linear sequence of organisms (i.e. Energy flows in one direction )
For example -
-
In a
forest
- Deer eats the leaves the trees and tiger eats the deer
Trees ⟶ Deers ⟶ Tiger
-
In a
grassland
- Flies suck nectar from the flowers, frog eats the flies, snake eats the frog, and Eagles eat Snakes
Flower ⟶ Flies ⟶ Frog ⟶ Snake ⟶ Eagles
-
In a
pond
- Aquatic plants are eaten by Small fishes, small fishes are are eaten by larger fishes, and these larger fishes are eaten by birds like Pelicans
Aquatic Plants ⟶ Small Fishes ⟶ Larger fishes ⟶ Birds like Pelicans
Food Web
Food web shows how many food chains are connected to each other.
It is a more realistic interpretation on how food is consumed in an ecosystem.
An example of food web is
So, in this food web
-
The first food chain is, rabbit eats plant and eagles eat rabbit
Plant ⟶ Rabbit ⟶ Eagles
-
The second food chain is, fox eats rabbit and fox is eaten by eagles
Rabbit ⟶ Fox ⟶ Eagles
-
Another can be
Plant ⟶ Grasshopper ⟶ Frog ⟶ Snake ⟶ Eagle
-
Another can be
Plant ⟶ Dragonfly ⟶ Thrush (insect eating bird) ⟶ Eagle
-
Another can be
Plant ⟶ Grasshopper ⟶ Rat ⟶ Fox ⟶ Eagle
Now, let’s study Trophic Level