Food chain

The Food Chain

Every living thing needs energy in order to live. Everytime animals do something (run, jump) they use energy to do so.

Animals get energy from the food they eat, and all living things get energy from food. Plants use sunlight, water and nutrients to get energy (in a process called photosynthesis). Energy is necessary for living beings to grow.

A food chain shows how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from creature to creature. Food chains begin with plant-life, and end with animal-life. Some animals eat plants, some animals eat other animals.






Parts of the Food Chain (Producers/Consumers...)

1. Producers

Plants are called producers. This is because they produce their own food! They do this by using light energy from the Sun, carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to produce food - in the form of glucouse/sugar.
The process is called photosynthesis.







2. Consumers

Animals are called consumers. This is because they cannot make their own food, so they need to consume (eat) plants and/or animals.

There are 3 groups of consumers.


1.     Animals that eat only plants.


2.           Animals that eat only animals.



3..    Animals that eat both animals AND plants. Humans are also omnivores.

 3. Decomposers -





Bacteria and fungi are decomposers. They eat decaying matter - dead plants and animals and in the process they break them down and decompose them When that happens, they release nutrients and mineral salts back into the soil - which then will be used by plants.




Bigger food chain -
Food chains make a full circle, and energy is passed from plant to animal to animal to decomposer and back to plant! There can be many links in food chains but not TOO many. If there are too many links, then the animal at the end would not get enough energy.










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