Feeding Relationships

Grade Objective Outcomes

To identify simple Identify producers, primary, secondary and tertiary consumers in
1-3 a food chain.
food chains and
4-6 explain the ecological Interpret and explain population curves
relationships that Explain what a food chain shows.
7-9 they show.

Starter:
1. Identify an adaptation of a plant that
lives in a desert condition
2. Identify and explain an adaptation of
an animal that lives in arctic conditions
3. What does a food chain tell us? Can
you give an example of a food chain?
 Light from the Sun falls continuously to
the Earth. It is the source of energy for
most communities of living organisms.

Photosynthesis
Carbon dioxide + water Glucose + oxygen

Glucose is used to make a range of chemicals which adds to

the biomass of the organism. Plants and algae are called
producers, because they produce most of the biomass for
life on Earth.
Task: Watch the video and answer the following
questions:
1. What is a food chain?
2. What do the arrows in a food chain represent?
3. What does ‘autotroph’ mean?
4. What is the difference between a carnivore and
herbivore?
5. What is an omnivore?
6. What is an insectivore? Can you give an example?
7. Describe the action of a decomposer.
8. Name two examples of decomposers.

https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=bvqN9H3QtTQ
Self-assessment:
1. A food chain shows the sequence of organisms within a
habitat that are dependent on each other for a source of
food
2. The arrows in a food chain represents the energy flow
through the chain
3. Autotrophs are organisms which are able to make their own
food, e.g. plants making glucose by photosynthesis
4. A carnivore is an organism that eats other animals whereas
herbivores eat only plants.
5. An omnivore is an organism which eats both plants and
animals.
6. An insectivore is an organism which feeds on insects,
worms and other invertebrates
7. A decomposer breaks down dead plants and animals and
waste and return nutrients back to the soil.
8. Two examples of decomposers are bacteria and fungi
A food chain shows which organisms eat
other organisms
Grass Rabbit Fox

The arrow is shows the transfer of energy

from one organism to another
Think > Pair > Share: Come up with 4 other
food chains you might find in a woodland
habitat.
Task: Match the terms to the correct
description and example:
Title

Description

Example

Oak Tree Barn Owl Wood Mouse Bark Beetle

Self-assessment:
Title

Description

Example
Populations
Great white Hammerhead
shark shark

Green sea
turtle

Clownfish
Regal
tang

Zooplankton Cleaner shrimp

Phytoplankton
 Task 2: Using the ocean food web, answer the questions below.
Remember to write out the question and answer in full sentences:
1. Sharks eat clown fish, what will happen to the number of clown fish if
the sharks become vegetarian?

2. What effect will this have on the number of other organisms within the food
chain?

3. What will happen to the Regal tang fish if a disease wipes out the small
invertebrates?

Extension: Write a paragraph summarising how predator prey

relationships affects a food web
Food Webs - Extension Questions
1. What would happen to 2. How could changes in
an animal if the number of the number of prey
it’s predator increased? affect predator
populations?
3. How could
4. List factors that affect the
disease affect numbers of animals in a
population population. What else could
numbers? affect animal populations?

Task: In pairs write the answer to

each question on A3 paper.
Self-assessment:
1. If the sharks became herbivores the numbers of clown
fish would dramatically increase as there would be less
predators preying on them. This would have a knock-on
effect to organisms lower down the food chain.

2. As clown fish prey upon the zooplankton and

phytoplankton this would mean that their numbers would
decline due to an increased population of clown fish
needing more food.

3. If all invertebrates are wiped out due to a disease this

would leave the regal tang with no food sources available.
This would lead to a dramatic reduction in their numbers
and eventually the population could be wiped out.
Self-assessment:
1. If the predator of an organism suddenly increased in numbers this would mean
that the organism will be being predated more. If this happens this will
eventually lead to a reduction in the population of this organism.

2. If the number of prey increased this could eventually lead to an increase in the
number of predators as there is a larger food source available to support a
larger population. However, if the number of prey decreased there might not
be enough food to support the predator population and their numbers may
start to decline.

3. Disease will lead to a decline in the population of any species that is affected
by the disease, this will have a knock on effect to organisms within the food
chain.

4. There are a range of factors which can affect population numbers: disease,
human effects on habitat and feeding relationships (e.g. hunting, poaching,
habitat destruction, changes in climatic conditions), availability of resources in
the environment.
Jack Rabbits and
Coyotes

Jack
Coyote Rabbit

1. Which is the predator which is the prey?

2. Use the data to plot a graph to show the this predator-prey
relationship
3. Describe what happens to the number of Jack Rabbits if the number
of Coyotes increase?
4. Describe what happen to the number of Coyotes if the number of
Jack rabbits increase?
Plenary ~ Use the following organisms to try and
come up with your own food chain, try and include
at least 4 organisms:

Hawk Blue tit Vole Green plant

Aphid Spider Chaffinch Moth larva

Extra Challenge: Use the list of organisms to

come up with a food web