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Science · Grades 5–8

Food webs and ecosystem reasoning

In these exercises an arrow points from a food source to the organism that eats it.

Make a worksheet

Understand the idea

Read the arrow

In these exercises an arrow points from a food source to the organism that eats it.

Expect connected effects

Changing one population can affect several others, but a food web alone does not predict exact numbers.

Examples and reasoning

In grass → rabbit → fox, which organism is the producer?

grass

grass

In grass → rabbit → fox, what does the first arrow represent?

food or energy transfer from grass to rabbit

food or energy transfer from grass to rabbit

Check your understanding

  1. Which organism commonly acts as a decomposer?

    1. a hawk hunting mice
    2. a rabbit eating grass
    3. a tree making sugars
    4. a fungus feeding on dead leaves

  2. A pond loses many water plants. Which claim is most defensible from this fact alone?

    1. Several food and habitat relationships may be affected.
    2. No other organism can be affected.
    3. Every fish will immediately die.
    4. The exact fish count is now known.

  3. A species eats both plant material and animals. Which description fits?

    1. omnivore
    2. only herbivore
    3. only producer
    4. nonliving factor

  4. Is water temperature a living or nonliving environmental factor?

Answers and marking notes

Answers and marking notes
  1. a fungus feeding on dead leaves

    a fungus feeding on dead leaves

  2. Several food and habitat relationships may be affected.

    Several food and habitat relationships may be affected.

  3. omnivore

    omnivore

  4. nonliving

    nonliving

Further reading and review references

These are reference links, not copied exercises, institutional endorsement or proof of independent review.

Learning preview · teacher review required. Grade bands are approximate, not official curriculum alignment.