Study Simple Food Chains
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What you will learn
- 1Sequence the steps of a simple food chain
- 2Use the words producer, herbivore, and carnivore to describe each part
- 3Explain how energy flows from the sun through plants and animals
Mini Lesson
Have you ever wondered where a lion's energy comes from? It comes from the zebra it eats — and the zebra's energy comes from the grass it eats. This chain of who eats whom is called a food chain!
Step 1 — The Sun starts everything
- All energy in a food chain begins with the sun.
- Plants capture sunlight and store it as food through photosynthesis.
Step 2 — Producer
- A producer is a plant or other living thing that makes its own food using sunlight.
- Examples: grass, oak tree, algae, sunflower.
Step 3 — Herbivore (primary consumer)
- A herbivore eats the producer. It is the first animal in the chain.
- Examples: rabbit eats grass; caterpillar eats leaves; deer eats shrubs.
Step 4 — Carnivore (secondary consumer)
- A carnivore eats the herbivore. It is at the top of this simple chain.
- Examples: fox eats rabbit; bird eats caterpillar; lion eats zebra.
Words to know
Food chain
A model showing how energy passes from one living thing to another through eating
e.g. Sun -> Grass -> Rabbit -> Fox
Producer
A plant or other living thing that makes its own food using sunlight
e.g. grass, oak tree, algae
Herbivore
An animal that eats only plants
e.g. rabbit, deer, caterpillar
Carnivore
An animal that eats other animals
e.g. fox, lion, hawk
Ask yourself: Where does the energy start? Who is the producer? Who eats the producer? Who is at the top?
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