Food chains and food webs

1. Food chains

Light energy is absorbed by producers(see:Photosynthesis)
It is converted into stored chemical energy(glucose) and passed along an along an ecosystem
A single pathway of energy in an ecosystem is called a food chain

1.1. Example

Sun → Grass → Grass hopper → Shrew → Owl

2. Food webs

Food webs exist because organisms have multiple food sources. This means there are multiple for energy to flow. - This can be represented as a web. A food web illustrates the relationships in a Community
Food webs change as species are removed/introduced (see: Invasive species)

3. Trophic Levels Diagram

digraph food_pyramid {
  graph [rankdir=TB, splines=false];
  node [shape=box, style="rounded,filled", fillcolor="#EFEFEF", fontsize=12];

  apex      [label="Apex predator"];
  tertiary  [label="Tertiary\nconsumers"];
  secondary [label="Secondary\nconsumers"];
  consumers [label="Consumers"];
  producers [label="Producers"];

  /* force vertical stacking and center alignment */
  { rank=same; apex; }
  { rank=same; tertiary; }
  { rank=same; secondary; }
  { rank=same; consumers; }
  { rank=same; producers; }

  /* connect layers top->bottom */
  apex -> tertiary -> secondary -> consumers -> producers;
}

4. Food chains/webs – Key terms

5. Elsewhere

5.1. References

5.2. In my garden

Notes that link to this note (AKA backlinks).

Glossary

Herbivore: Only eats producers, primary consumer
Carnivore: Only eats other consumers, secondary/tertiary consumer
Omnivore: Eats both producers & consumers, secondary consumer
Scavenger: Feeds on remains of dead creatures
Detritivore: Feeds on waste