1. Food Chains & Food Webs

2. What is a food chain? A Linear depiction of the transfer of energy from one organism to another as each is eaten. This is the typical depiction: beginning with photosynthesis at the bottom and ending with a large carnivore at the top of the chain. Note: linear and incomplete (no people or decomposers)

3. What is a food web? A more accurate depiction of the interaction among the members of an ecosystem Shows that individual organisms might have multiple food sources and multiple predators Note: Non-linear; Includes conditions necessary for photosynthesis and decomposers, but still no people

4. Great activity for kids Construct a food web for the organisms in your schoolyard, neighborhood, city, or state. Requires direct observation or research into the plant and animals of the community. Requires understanding of the multiple interactions among the members. Would almost certainly include the human factor.

5. Step 2 of great activity for kids Have them add or remove, increase or decrease one organism in their web. Construct a plausible explanation about what would be the factors that might cause this change. Discuss the short-term and long-term effects this change might have upon the other organisms and the entire web. (Possibly redraw the web to reflect these changes) Discuss how this change might be enhanced (if it seems to improve the web) or be avoided (if it seems a detriment to the web). Discuss how this relates to the world web as a whole and what our individual, community, and national responsibilities might be towards the ecosystems we affect.

6. A fun computer simulation Quick interactive game : Plants, Rabbits, and Foxes http://puzzling.caret.cam.ac.uk/game.php?game=fo odchain http://puzzling.caret.cam.ac.uk/game.php?game=fo odchain A fun non- computer simulation A non-technical interactive game : From the Sept. 23 rd Webinar Oh Deer PowerPoint

7. IRC: Food Chains and Food Webs IRC: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers IRC: Interactions within Ecosystems IRC: Environmental Conditions that Affect Survival and Adaptations IRC: Human Contributions to Extinctions of Some Species For further information and ideas, check these out on the Wiki: