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Connecting the Links in Food Chains
A population is a group of organisms of one kind that lives in an
area. In a field of grass, there might be a population of grasshoppers.
In and around a pond, there might be a population of frogs. Around
the pond, there might be a population of hawks.
1.
What might happen to the food chain if the population of
grasshoppers gets larger? What if the population of grasshoppers
gets smaller?
2.
What might happen to the food chain when a drought or fire
destroys the grass?
3.
What might happen to the food chain when the hawks fly away
to hunt in a different area?
Plants are the primary sources of matter in many
food chains.
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A food chain is a way to describe a feeding relationship between
organisms. Matter and energy transfer from one organism to the next
organism in a food chain. Plants and algae make their own food using
the energy from the Sun. The Sun is needed for almost every food
chain on land or in water.