1. Build a Food Web

2. Do Now: Answer the following questions in your science notebook
What type of organisms do primary consumers eat?
Producers
What type of organisms do secondary consumers eat?
Primary consumers
What type of organisms do tertiary consumers eat?
Secondary consumers
Draw a food chain that shows humans as a primary consumer.
Draw a food chain that shows humans as a secondary consumer.
Draw a food chain that shows humans as a tertiary consumer.

3. Do Now: Answer the following questions in your science notebook
Draw a food chain that shows humans as a primary consumer.
Draw a food chain that shows humans as a secondary consumer.
Draw a food chain that shows humans as a tertiary consumer.

4. Quiz on Friday, 4/6 Energy in Ecosystems
How energy moves in ecosystems
Different types of organisms
Photosynthesis, chemosynthesis
How energy movement is modeled
Food chains, food webs
Energy pyramids

5. Build a Food Web Activity
As you have learned, a food web is a model of how energy moves through a community of organisms. Food chains show only a single set of energy transfers, ignoring that many organisms obtain energy from many different sources, and in turn may provide energy to many different organisms. You will be building your own food web.
Materials:
Construction paper
Picture cards
Markers/pencils
Scissors
Glue

6. Build a Food Web Activity
Important Things:
Write your group’s names, period number, and date on the upper-right hand corner.
Make sure you include the Sun in your food web!
Find the Color Key Card. You will use different colors to color each of the triangles for each type of trophic level.
Decide on 15 picture cards to use before you start cutting. Your food web must have at least 2 organisms from each trophic level. So, you will need to plan ahead. A good idea is to make a draft food web by writing organism’s names on a separate piece of paper
In some cases, an organism might qualify as multiple types of consumer. If this is the case, simply color code that organism with each of the colors according to your color key card.
Draw arrows to show energy passing from one organism to another
When finished, ask for the Tasks/Questions handout.

7. Build a Food Web Questions
Producers:
phytoplankton, aquatic plants, filamentous algae,
Carnivores:
possible answers include snapping turtle, alligator, largemouth bass, great blue heron, newts and salamanders
Herbivores:
possible answers include marsh rabbit, beaver, grass shrimp
Omnivores:
possible answers include pond frog, raccoon, crayfish,
Decomposers (organisms that break down dead material on a molecular level):
bacteria
Detritovores:
possible answers include insects, toadstool fungus, vulture

8. Build a Food Web Questions
Food Chain #1
Food Chain #2
Food Chain #3
Producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer

9. Build a Food Web Questions
What would happen if aquatic plants died out because of pollution?
The primary consumers that feed on aquatic plants may experience a population decrease due to less available food.
As a result, the secondary consumers that eat those primary consumers may then decrease in population size.
Then, the tertiary consumers that eat those secondary consumers may decrease in population size.

10. Build a Food Web Questions
What would happen to your food web if the population of a tertiary consumer was to double?
The secondary consumer population would decrease due to more predators.
This may later lead to the primary consumer population increasing since they have fewer predators.
The tertiary consumer population may also later decrease as they will not have enough food to sustain their population size.

11. Build a Food Web Questions
How would the introduction of Asian carp affect your food web?
The organisms that eat zooplankton will experience greater competition for food. As a result, their population would decrease.