Food Web
a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms
A food web is a diagram that shows the flow of energy within an ecosystem. It describes how different organisms in an ecosystem are connected to one another through feeding relationships. In a food web, organisms are grouped according to their trophic levels. These trophic levels start from producers, which are plants that convert sunlight into energy. Then come herbivores, which are animals that eat plants, followed by carnivores, which are animals that eat other animals. Finally, there are omnivores, which are animals that eat both plants and other animals.
A food web is a branching web of these trophic levels, starting from producers and working its way up to higher levels of consumers. For example, consider a simple food web that consists of grass, a rabbit, and a fox. Grass is the producer, rabbit is the herbivore, and fox is the carnivore. The arrows in the food web indicate which organisms are being eaten by which other organisms. In this case, the grass is eaten by the rabbit, and the rabbit is eaten by the fox.
A food web can also include decomposers, which break down dead plant and animal material. Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, play an important role in recycling nutrients within an ecosystem.
Overall, food webs help us understand the complex relationships between different organisms in an ecosystem and how energy is transferred from one organism to another.
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