Summary
Everybody eats! Sort of! All living things need food to survive, whether they make it on their own or chow down on other organisms. Food is so important because it’s how organisms get the energy they need to live and grow. That’s why scientists map out food webs, models that show who eats whom in an ecosystem. For consumers, like us humans, food is other organisms. Decomposers get their food from other organisms, as well. But if you trace the individual paths—or food chains—within food webs, you’ll find that they all start with producers. Those are organisms who make their own food. Plants and algae do it by harnessing energy from sunlight, through the process of photosynthesis. And they aren’t the only ones who run on sun. When animals eat these plants and algae, they’re getting energy from sunlight, too. In fact, scientists thought that all living things got their energy from sunlight—until an adventure to the deep sea made them think again. Press “play” to find out what they discovered!
Viewer safety
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Food Webs:
- What is one new thing you learned about food webs?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining food webs.
- Draw or give one example of your own.