Food Webs and Energy Flow
Year 6 students explore how energy flows through ecosystems via food chains and webs, and examine the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers.
What You Need to Know
Key Concept Diagram
Producers (plants, algae) capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis and form the base of food chains
Consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms: herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat animals, omnivores eat both
Decomposers (fungi, bacteria) break down dead matter, returning nutrients to the soil
A food web shows the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem; removing one species can affect many others
Key Vocabulary
Producer
An organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis (e.g. plants, algae)
Consumer
An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down dead organic material and recycles nutrients (e.g. fungi, bacteria)
Food web
A diagram showing the complex network of feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
Knowledge Check
Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.
Question 1
In a food chain, which organism captures energy from sunlight?
Question 2
A rabbit eats grass, and a hawk eats the rabbit. What is the rabbit's role in this food chain?
Question 3
If all the foxes in an ecosystem were removed, which is the most likely consequence?
Key Concepts Summary
- ●Producers (plants, algae) capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis and form the base of food chains
- ●Consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms: herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat animals, omnivores eat both
- ●Decomposers (fungi, bacteria) break down dead matter, returning nutrients to the soil
- ●A food web shows the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem; removing one species can affect many others