Food Webs
Food Webs
The energy and nutrient connections in nature are more accurately shown by a food web than by a food chain. A food web is a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Figure 3 (to the left) shows a simple food web. A food web is made up of many food chains. Notice that an arrow goes from the prairie dog to the coyote and shows that the prairie dog is eaten by the coyote. The prairie dog is also eaten by the mountain lion.
Figure 3 (to the left) The arrows show how energy moves when one organism eats another. Most consumers eat a variety of foods and can be eaten by a variety of other consumers.
Energy moves from one organism to the next in one direction in a food web. Each organism uses energy for its life processes. During these processes, some energy is lost to the environment as heat. Any energy not immediately used by an organism is stored in its cells. Only the energy stored in an organism’s cells can be used by the next consumer.
The energy and nutrient connections in nature are more accurately shown by a food web than by a food chain. A food web is a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Figure 3 (to the left) shows a simple food web. A food web is made up of many food chains. Notice that an arrow goes from the prairie dog to the coyote and shows that the prairie dog is eaten by the coyote. The prairie dog is also eaten by the mountain lion.
Figure 3 (to the left) The arrows show how energy moves when one organism eats another. Most consumers eat a variety of foods and can be eaten by a variety of other consumers.
Energy moves from one organism to the next in one direction in a food web. Each organism uses energy for its life processes. During these processes, some energy is lost to the environment as heat. Any energy not immediately used by an organism is stored in its cells. Only the energy stored in an organism’s cells can be used by the next consumer.