Kids Discover Magazine Pages 6-7 Food Chain & Who's Eating Whom?

1. According to the article on page 6, "The Food Chain," food chains are all about the transfer of energy from one level of the food chain to the next level. As you move up the food chain, 90% of the energy is lost. This energy loss in a food chain explains why there are always fewer predators than there are prey. 2. In the section called "The Food Web," on page 7, most animals are a part of more than one food chain. Very few, if any animals feed on only one kind of food. Because of this, food webs are more accurate than food chains. 2. In the section called "The Food Web," on page 7, most animals are a part of more than one food chain. Very few, if any animals feed on only one kind of food. Because of this, food webs are more accurate than food chains. 3. Explain why it would be risky for an animal to depend on only one kind of food. Along with your explanation, you need to give an example and explain what would happen to that animal if it ate only one kind of food. 4. In the article on page 6 called, "Who's Eating Whom," energy is passed along in a community by way of food webs. At the beginning of every food chain are the plants that use the sun's energy to make their own food through a process called photosynthesis. The food that the plants make is a type of starch. The animals that come along and eat plants are called herbivores. One example of an herbivore is a rabbit. At the next level, some of the herbivores are eaten by carnivores which eat only meat and by omnivores such as bears which eat both plants AND animals. 5. In the caption next to the picture of the sea otter, explain how overhunting sea otters affected hundred of other marine organisms. 6. In this relationship, a smaller animal lives off a larger animal. predator-prey decomposer parasite commensalism 7. Sometimes animals have a relationship that works for both of them. For example, we have bacteria in our gut (digestive system) which help us digest our food and in turn we give the bacteria a place to live and as much food as they can eat. parasites decomposers commensalism mutualism 8. These organisms break down dead matter into minerals that enrich the soil and serve as food for new plants. parasites decomposers commensalism mutualism 9. This organism mooches off another organism, but gives nothing back in return. parasite decomposer commensalism mutualism