Who eats who? 1 Background d energy All plants and animals nee Plants from their food to live. own (producers) produce their imals get energy from the sun. An her organisms. their energy by eating ot d web is a They are consumers. A foo. A food chain connection of food chains rgy sun, as the source of ene always starts with the umers eat the producers for the producers. Cons l ors who have few natura and at the top are predat all the interconnections threats. Food webs show of cular habitat. The ability between species in a parti, nce from threats, its reslie an ecosystem to recover orted and conserved. is vital and must be supp 6 Extend ures from Choose one of the creat. Websites the food web to research ry museum such as the natural histo d national (http://www.nhm.ac.uk) an ids. geographic kids (http://k nationalgeographic.com) are good starting points. raged to use Students should be encou ll to complete information texts as we rch scaffold.s the Find Out More resea Subject/Topic: Food webs, biodiversity 2 Set the Sc ene Show students Cool Seas poster. Identify some of the marine life. With a partner, st udents to discuss who they th ink eats who. Pairs to share their ideas with the class. 5 Apply Younger or less able students should complete the Build a Food Web interactiv e independently. Older students use Who Eats Who? 1 or 2 to build their own food web. This activity could be completed usin g an online mindmapping program, such as bubbl.us. 7 Reflect Ask for volunteers to explain the food web, identifying producers, consumers and predators. Consider: What happens if one creature becomes extinct or reduces in numbers? Relate this to the need to fish sustainably and keep our oceans clean. Suitable for: Older years 3 Resources Web, Who Worksheets: Marine Food s Poster, eats who? 1 or 2, Cool Sea me. ga Find Out More, interactive 4 Investigate Ask students to think about the types of fo od we eat. Discuss being a vegetarian. Compar e eating meat - carnivo res with vegetarians (herbivores) and thos e who eat both (omn ivores) Brainstorm common examples of each (e.g. cat, rabbit, pig) Explain th e same is true in the sea. Show examples of ea ch (shark - carnivore, se a urchin - herbivore, gr een turtle - omnivor e) Discuss how this me ans life is interconnec te d. Introduce the terms producer, consumer and predator. Use the Bu ild a Food Web inter active (in Food Webs sectio n) on IWB as model for the following activity. A project made possible by
Who Eats Who? (for second stage activity 3) Basking Sharks: Eat plankton Cat worms: Eat seaweed and worms Small fish: (Such as sand ee ls) eat seaweed and worms Use the food web template and the information on this sheet to make your own food web. imals Plankton: These are tiny an ter and plants that float in the wa to (you really need a microscope see them) Sea urchins: Eat seaweed and worms Dolphins: Eat fish Edible crabs: s Eat shellfish, worm and small fish Mussels: Eat plankton Photographs L to R J Stafford-Deitsch, Andy Colls, Dawn Tim, Hans Hillewart (Wikimedia Commons) Ryan Towley/MCS, Peter Richardson/MCS, Judith Scott
Cat worms: Eat seaweed and worms Edible crabs: Eat shellfish, worms and small fish Mussels: Eat plankton Basking Sharks: Eat plankton Small fish: (Such as sand eels) eat seaweed and worms Sea urchins: Eat seaweed and worms Dolphins: Eat fish Plankton: These are tiny animals and plants that float in the water (you really need a microscope to see them) Who Eats Who? 2 Use the food web template and the information on this sheet to make your own food web.
Marine Food Web (for second stage activity 3) Name: People Basking Shark CONSUMERS PRODUCERS Plankton and Seaweed
Find Out More Name: Choose one of the creatures from the food web to research and add notes to the research grid below. Appearance Lifecycle Behaviour Diet Marine Animal Other Habitat Adaptation Predators