Food Chain

Every living thing in a forest—plants, insects, birds, and other animals are part of a complex food chain.

A food chain shows how energy and nutrients move from one living thing to another.

Using energy from the sun, plants—known as producers—create food through photosynthesis.

These plants are consumed by primary consumers like grasshoppers, which primarily feed on grass, leaves, and other plant materials.

The secondary consumers, like mice, eat these grasshoppers.

The tertiary consumers, like snakes, eat these mice. At the top of the food chain are quaternary consumers, like eagles that kill snakes.

Every time an organism is consumed by another, only 10% of the energy of the consumed organism is transferred, while the rest is lost primarily as heat. This limits food chains to three to five levels.

Food chains are interconnected, forming complex networks known as food webs because animals consume a variety of organisms. For example, an eagle may feed on snakes, lizards, and small birds.

Climate change can disrupt food chains by causing habitat loss or reducing food, making survival difficult for organisms.