This document discusses food chains and ecosystems. It defines a food chain as showing what eats what in an ecosystem. An ecosystem includes all the animals, plants, and their habitats that provide everything needed to sustain life. This particular food chain shows plants being eaten by slugs, slugs eaten by frogs, and frogs eaten by herons. Most food chains begin with a green plant that acts as a producer, making its own food. Animals that eat plants or other animals are consumers. Predators are animals that hunt and eat other animals, while prey are animals that are hunted and eaten. Energy flows through the food chain as each organism eats another to gain energy, keeping the ecosystem alive.

2. A food chain tells us what is eaten by what in an ecosystem .

3. What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is all the animals , the plants and their habitats . An ecosystem gives everything that the animals and plants need.

4. What is happening in this food chain? The insect is eaten by the frog.

5. What is eaten by the insect?

6. Many insects feed on nectar which they gather from flowers.

7. What might the frog be eaten by?

8. What does this food chain show? The plant is eaten by the slug. The slug is eaten by the frog. The frog is eaten by the heron.

9. The arrow means “is eaten by”. The insect is eaten by the frog.

11. This is a beach food chain.

13. What did each food chain begin with?

14. Yes! Almost every food chain starts with a green plant.

15. Plants are called PRODUCERS . They produce (make) their own food and provide food for animals.

16. Animals are called CONSUMERS . They consume (eat) other animals or plants.

17. Animals that hunt and eat other animals are called PREDATORS.

18. Animals that are hunted and eaten by other animals are called their PREY .

22. Energy flow Each animal in the food chain eats another animal or a plant in order to gain energy. The energy flow in the ecosystem keeps all of the animals alive.

23. A food chain shows Most food chains start with Plants are Animals are Animals that hunt and eat others are called Animals that are caught and eaten are called producers consumers predators prey a green plant what is eaten by what