SOL 3.5- What makes up a food chain? 3.5 The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include producer, consumer, decomposer; herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and predator and prey. *Created by Emily Hooker

What is food? Food is material that organisms use to get energy.

Producers: All food comes from organisms called producers. Producers make food from water, air and energy from sunlight. Green plants and tiny one-celled organisms are producers.

Consumers: Animals are consumers. Consumers are organisms that eat producers or other consumers.

Food Chain: Together, producers and consumers make a food chain. A food chain is a series of organisms that depend on one another for food. Food chains start with producers. Consumers eat those producers. Then other consumers eat the first consumers.

Which are they? Producers? Consumers?

There is more to a food chain than just producers and consumers There is more to a food chain than just producers and consumers. Decomposers play a huge roll as well. Decomposers break down dead plant and animal material.

Vore…. Different consumers eat different kinds of food. Some consumers eat only plants. Some eat only animals. Still others eat both plants and animals. Each of these groups has it’s own special name. All of their names end with the letters vore. Vore means “eater.”

Herbivore: An animal that eats only plants is called an herbivore. Koala bears are herbivores.

Carnivore: An animal that eats only other animals is called a carnivore. Tigers are carnivores.

Omnivore: An animal that eats both plants and animals is called an omnivore. A racoon is an omnivore.

Predator Animals that hunt for their food are called predators. Owls, coyotes, wolves and many other animals are hunters and therefore, predators.

Prey: The animals that predators eat are called prey.