SUBJECT: BIOLOGY

SCHOOL: WATERFORD HIGH SCHOOL

TEACHER: NICKETA ANDERSON

GRADE: 10

DATE: OCTOBER 2-14

DURATION: 2 WEEKS

TOPIC: CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS/FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS

Specific Objectives:

 Identify the relative positions of producers and consumers in food chains

 Identify from each habitat, a food chain containing at least four organisms
 Identify from each habitat: herbivore, carnivore and omnivore
 Identify from each habitat, predator/ prey relationships
 Construct a food web to include different trophic levels
 Explain the role of decomposers

General Objectives:

 Understand what is meant by a food chain and list the components

 Give examples of a terrestrial and aquatic food chain
 Explain what is a producer, primary and secondary consumers
 Define a herbivore, carnivore and omnivore, give examples of each
 Define what is a predator and prey, give examples
 Give examples of aquatic and terrestrial predators and preys
 Understand what is meant by trophic level and list each level
 List examples of decomposers

Key Vocabulary:

Producers, consumers, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, habitat, predator, prey, feed, terrestrial, aquatic,
organism, decomposers, food web, interconnected, food chain

Resources and Materials: Communication devices, textbooks, internet sources/images, marker,

whiteboard, power point presentations

Teaching Strategies/Methodologies:
Individual activities, cooperative groups, use of visuals, concept maps, discussion & questioning.
Content Outline
Living organisms need to feed to be able to perform the other life processes such as feeding
relationships among each other. Some organisms can produce their own food, such as plants, while
other organisms cannot do this and need to feed on other organisms to obtain their energy. Different
feeding types in an ecosystem can be identified, based on how the organism obtains its food. There
are producers and consumers. Producers are organisms that are able to produce their own organic
food. They do not need to eat other organisms to do this. Producers are also called autotrophs.
Organisms which cannot produce their own food need to eat other organisms to get food. These
organisms are called consumers. All animals are consumers as they cannot produce their own food.
Consumers are also called heterotrophs.

 Animals that eat plants are primary consumers.

 Animals that eat primary consumers are called secondary consumers.
 Animals that eat the secondary consumers (mostly predators) are the tertiary consumers.

Then there are decomposers (bacteria, fungi, and even some worms), which feed on decaying matter.
These decomposers speed up the decaying process that releases mineral salts back into the food chain
for absorption by plants as nutrients.

A food chain is a simple diagrammatic representation of feeding relationships in an ecosystem. It shows

the flow of energy from producers to primary consumers, from primary consumers to secondary
consumers and so on. The arrows in a food chain represent the flow of energy. There are two main
types of food chains; aquatic and terrestrial. An aquatic food chain shows organisms from an aquatic
habitat (Marine/ fresh water) and a terrestrial food chain shows organisms found on land (forests, farm,
backyard, jungle etc.) Animals show predator/prey relationships. Predators are carnivores that feed on
other animals that are called their prey. Predators hunt, capture, kill and eat other animals. Those that
are hunted and eaten are called the prey. Food chains will therefore include predators.
Learning Outcome

Students will be able to:

 Understand what is meant by a food chain and list the components

 Differentiate between a terrestrial and aquatic food chain
 Differentiate between a producer, primary and secondary consumers
 Differentiate between a herbivore, carnivore and omnivore, give examples of each
 Differentiate between is a predator and prey, give examples
 Give examples of aquatic and terrestrial predators and preys
 Understand what is meant by trophic level and list each level, give examples of organisms that
can be found at each trophic
 Explain what are decomposers and give examples

PROCEDURES/ACTIVITIES:

Engage:

Students will be asked:

 In your own words give a definition for feeding relationships

 Based on your previous knowledge of feeding relationships, can you identify any feeding
relationships between any organisms that you see around?
 Where do you live? Where do plants live? Where do animals live?
 Tell the difference between the habitat of a fish and that of a dog
 Have you ever heard the terms predation and prey? What do you know about them?
 To recall the niche of a worm

Explore:
  Teacher will ask students to discuss among themselves the answer to the questions previously
asked
 Students will be asked to try and write their own definitions
 Teacher will ask students to draw a food chain in their books, from their own knowledge using
their own organisms of either terrestrial or aquatic habitat
 Within groups students will be asked to try and identify producers and consumers, predators
and preys

Explain:

Teacher will:

 Give correct definitions for producer, primary, secondary consumers, herbivore, carnivore,
omnivore, predator, prey (clear any misconceptions)
 State that there are two main types of food chains; aquatic and terrestrial.
 Draw examples of each type of food chain on the board.
 Ask students to construct food chains from a list of organisms on the board and identify from
the food chain the producer, herbivore and carnivore as well as the positions of the primary,
secondary and tertiary consumer.
 Ask students what is a food web. Draw a diagram of a food web on the board and ask students
to distinguish between a food web and a food chain.
 State that a food web is more representative of an ecosystem and that it shows many different
food chains and how they are linked.
 Ask students to note the features of a food web such as the direction of the arrows and the
position of the producers etc.
 Discuss the role of decomposers and detritivores.

Explore:

 Students participate in discussion and answer the questions.

 Students respond to questions and take notes.
 Students observe pictures and ask questions.
 Students respond to questions and copy diagrams in note books.

Evaluate:

Students will be given a list of organisms to create food chains and webs

List of organisms for constructing a food chain:

Butterfly

Owl

Toad

Hibiscus plant
Homework: Csec past paper question

TABLE 1: FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS OF ORGANISMS IN THE POND

Organism Food eaten
Crab Decaying plant matter
Guppy (fish) Mosquito larvae, tadpoles
Waterbird Guppy, frog, crab
Water snail Algae, water weed
Mosquito larvae Moss, decaying plant
matter
Water weed Makes own food
Frog Dragonfly, mosquito
larvae
Tadpoles Water weed

14. Using the information in Table 1 construct a food web with TEN organisms.