Upon hearing the word food chain, what comes to mind? A long chain made of food? Or the relationship that exists between plants and animals in an ecosystem? Let’s learn more.
Who Eats What?
A food chain shows how animals eat the plants and other animals that live around them. A food chain usually starts with a plant. The plant gets eaten by an animal. The animal then gets eaten by a bigger animal. And so on!
Producers and Consumers
Plants get their energy from the Sun, through a process called Photosynthesis. They are called producers because they make their own food.
Animals are called consumers. Some eat plants and are called herbivores, some eat other animals and are called carnivores, yet, others eat both plants and animals and are called omnivores. These animals do not make their own food, but get the energy they require for life through these means.
Also, animals that eat other animals are called predators. The animals they eat are called prey.
Consider the example below:
Which of these two animals is the predator? And which is the prey? The hedgehog? Or the snail?
Source: BBC Bitesize
