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E
very animal depends on other animals or plants to survive. Eating is
the way animals get the food they need to survive. What is it about
food that makes life possible? Food is a source of matter and energy.
The matter in food provides the raw materials an organism needs to grow
and reproduce. Energy is like fuel. It makes things happen.
The transfer of energy and matter from organism to organism in a feeding
relationship is called a
food chain
. Let’s look at the links in a food chain.
Some organisms don’t eat anything. They
don’t have to because they make their own food.
On land, plants such as grasses, trees, and bushes
make their own food. In freshwater and ocean
systems, plants and algae make their own food.
Plants and algae use the energy from the Sun to
make their own food. Plants and algae are the
primary source of matter in a food chain.
Food Chains
Plants make their own food
using energy from sunlight.
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