The Snake food chain
The Jellyfish food chain
The Lobster food chain
1. As with most food chains it begins with the Sun.
1. As with most food chains it begins with the Sun.
1. As with most food chains it begins with the Sun.
2. The Sun in turn creates the rain.
2. The warmed seas enable tiny microbes to grow
2. The warmed seas enable tiny microbes to grow
3. This enables grass to grow
3. These phytoplankton are eaten by zooplankton.
3. These phytoplankton are eaten by zooplankton.
4. The grass is eaten by insects like ants.
4. The zooplankton are eaten by krill.
4. The zooplankton are eaten by krill.
5. Ants in turn are eaten by frogs.
5. Krill are eaten by jellyfish
5. Krill are eaten by small sea urchins.
6. Frogs are eaten by birds like pigeons.
6. Jellyfish are eaten by fish like tuna.
6. Sea urchins are eaten by the crabs.
7. Pigeons are eaten by snakes.
7. Tuna are eaten by sea turtles.
7. Lobsters then eat the crabs.
8. Snakes are eaten by hedgehogs.
8. Turtles are eaten by sharks.
8. Humans catch and eat the lobsters.
9. Hedgehogs are eaten by eagles.
9. Sharks are the top predator in this food chain.
9. Humans are the top predator in this food chain.
10. Eagles are the top predator in this food chain.
POINTS TO THINK ABOUT
- Frogs are not the only animals to eat insects. Wherever this 'crossover' occurs is when a food chain becomes a food web.
- What do you think would happen to the food chain if one year a lot of the frog spawn did not hatch into small frogs because of drought or poisoning for instance?
- What do you think would happen if many of the eagle nests were damaged by egg poachers or high winds?
POINTS TO THINK ABOUT
- Jellyfish are not the only animals to eat krill. Wherever this 'crossover' occurs is when a food chain becomes a food web.
- What do you think would happen to the food chain if one year a lot of the krill disappeared due to the water temperature rising and killing them off?
- What do you think would happen if many of the turtle eggs one year were eaten by predators?
POINTS TO THINK ABOUT
Crabs are not the only animals to eat sea urchins. Wherever this 'crossover' occurs is when a food chain becomes a food web.
What do you think would happen to the food chain if one year a lot of the sea urchins disappeared due to the water temperature rising and killing them off?
What do you think would happen if humans over fished the lobster population?
Click on each heading to access a picture. Click again to hide the picture.