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Interdependence in Nature - Food Chain and Food Web

Grade 5ICSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

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Interdependence: All living organisms (biotic) depend on each other and their non-living (abiotic) environment like sunlight, air (O2O_2 and CO2CO_2), and water (H2OH_2O) for survival.

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Producers (Autotrophs): Green plants are producers that prepare their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight, chlorophyll, and CO2CO_2.

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Consumers (Heterotrophs): Organisms that cannot make their own food. They are classified as Herbivores (eat plants), Carnivores (eat animals), and Omnivores (eat both).

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Decomposers: Organisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals into simpler substances, returning nutrients to the soil.

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Food Chain: A linear sequence representing the flow of energy from one organism to another. It always starts with a Producer.

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Food Web: A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing that one organism can be part of multiple food chains.

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Energy Flow: Energy decreases as it moves up the food chain. Only about 10%10\% of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level.

📐Formulae

6CO2+6H2O→ChlorophyllSunlightC6H12O6+6O26CO_2 + 6H_2O \xrightarrow[Chlorophyll]{Sunlight} C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2

Sunlight→Producers→Primary Consumers→Secondary Consumers→Decomposers\text{Sunlight} \rightarrow \text{Producers} \rightarrow \text{Primary Consumers} \rightarrow \text{Secondary Consumers} \rightarrow \text{Decomposers}

💡Examples

Problem 1:

Identify the different levels in the following food chain: Grass→Grasshopper→Frog→Snake→EagleGrass \rightarrow \text{Grasshopper} \rightarrow \text{Frog} \rightarrow \text{Snake} \rightarrow \text{Eagle}.

Solution:

GrassGrass (Producer), Grasshopper\text{Grasshopper} (Primary Consumer), Frog\text{Frog} (Secondary Consumer), Snake\text{Snake} (Tertiary Consumer), Eagle\text{Eagle} (Apex Predator).

Explanation:

Energy flows from the producer (GrassGrass) through various levels of consumers. Each level represents a trophic step in the ecosystem.

Problem 2:

What happens if all the frogs are removed from a pond ecosystem consisting of Algae→Insects→Frogs→Small FishAlgae \rightarrow \text{Insects} \rightarrow \text{Frogs} \rightarrow \text{Small Fish}?

Solution:

The population of Insects\text{Insects} will increase rapidly, while the population of Small Fish\text{Small Fish} will decrease due to lack of food.

Explanation:

Removing a link in the food chain disrupts the balance of the ecosystem, affecting both the organisms below and above that link.

Problem 3:

Explain the role of CO2CO_2 and O2O_2 in the interdependence of plants and animals.

Solution:

Plants take in CO2CO_2 for photosynthesis and release O2O_2. Animals take in O2O_2 for respiration and release CO2CO_2.

Explanation:

This exchange creates a continuous cycle (CO2−O2CO_2 - O_2 cycle) that maintains the atmospheric balance necessary for life.

Food Chain and Food Web - Revision Notes & Key Formulas | ICSE Class 5 Science