Food Webs and Food Chains Worksheets - Free Pintables - Free Printable

Here is the solution to the questions based on the provided food web and food chain diagrams:

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Study the food web and answer the following questions.

Q1. What is a food web?
A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains that shows how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem. It illustrates the feeding relationships between different organisms, showing who eats whom. Unlike a simple food chain, a food web includes multiple producers, consumers, and decomposers, and demonstrates how species are linked in many ways.

*(In the diagram: Grass is eaten by rabbit, mouse, and grasshopper; these are then eaten by various predators like fox, owl, hawk, snake, and bird — forming a web of connections.)*

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Q2. What would happen if the snake population decreases?
If the snake population decreases, its prey (such as mice, frogs, and birds) would likely increase because there are fewer predators eating them. At the same time, the animals that eat snakes — like hawks and owls — might have less food available, which could cause their populations to decrease. This imbalance can ripple through the entire ecosystem, affecting plant life and other animal populations.

*(Example: More mice → more grass eaten → less grass for rabbits → rabbit population may drop.)*

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Q3. When do we consider the ecosystem to be in equilibrium?
An ecosystem is considered to be in equilibrium when the populations of all organisms remain relatively stable over time. This happens when birth rates, death rates, predation, competition, and resource availability are balanced. In a balanced food web, no single species dominates or disappears, and energy flows smoothly through the system.

*(In this food web, equilibrium means grass, rabbits, mice, grasshoppers, frogs, birds, snakes, foxes, owls, and hawks all maintain sustainable population levels without drastic increases or declines.)*

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Q4. What happens to energy as we move up from one step to another in a chain or web?
As energy moves from one trophic level (step) to the next in a food chain or web, most of it (about 90%) is lost — primarily as heat due to metabolic processes, movement, and waste. Only about 10% of the energy is transferred to the next level. This is known as the “10% rule.” Because of this energy loss, there are usually fewer organisms at higher trophic levels (like top predators).

*(Example: Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk — each step has less energy available than the last.)*

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Study the food chain and answer the following questions.

Q1. What is a food chain?
A food chain is a simple, linear sequence that shows how energy and nutrients pass from one organism to another in an ecosystem. It starts with a producer (usually a plant), followed by primary consumers (herbivores), then secondary consumers (carnivores or omnivores), and so on, ending with a top predator.

*(In the diagram: Sun → Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk — this shows one straight path of energy transfer.)*

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Q2. Name the producer in the food chain.
The producer in the food chain is Grass.

*(Producers are organisms that make their own food, usually through photosynthesis using sunlight. In this chain, grass uses energy from the sun to grow and forms the base of the food chain.)*

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✔ All questions answered clearly and accurately based on ecological principles and the provided diagrams.