Model Food Webs - Middle School Life Science

Primary consumer. Rabbit eats the producer (grass).

Secondary consumer. Fox eats the primary consumer (rabbit).

Algae. Only algae performs photosynthesis in this list.

Correct: mouse → hawk. Arrow should point toward the consumer.

Consumer populations decrease due to reduced energy supply. Less food at the base affects all higher levels.

They simplify interactions and usually omit amounts and changes over time. Real ecosystems are more complex and dynamic.

A diagram showing interconnected feeding relationships among organisms. Shows who eats whom in an ecosystem.

A chain is one path; a web is many connected paths. Webs show multiple feeding relationships, not just one.

The direction of energy transfer between organisms. Energy flows from eaten to eater.

From prey to predator. Energy flows in the direction of consumption.

An organism that makes its own food, usually by photosynthesis. Forms the base of the food web.

An organism that eats producers (an herbivore). First level of consumers in the energy pyramid.

An organism that eats primary consumers. Second level consumers, often carnivores.

An organism that eats secondary consumers. Third level consumers in the energy pyramid.

A top consumer with no natural predators in that web. Sits at the top of the food web.

A consumer that eats both producers and consumers. Has varied diet from multiple trophic levels.

Breaks down dead matter and recycles nutrients to the ecosystem. Essential for nutrient cycling in ecosystems.

Producer. Grass produces its own food through photosynthesis.

A feeding position based on how an organism gets energy. Each level represents a step in energy transfer.

A consumer that eats primary consumers. Second-level consumers are typically carnivores.

An herbivore that eats producers. First-level consumers feed directly on plants.

An organism that eats both producers and consumers. Feeds at multiple trophic levels in the web.

Hawk. The hunter in a predator-prey relationship.

Omnivore. Has a varied diet spanning multiple trophic levels.