Food Chain Worksheets

All living things are connected, and some of these connections are known as food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. Producers such as plants and some algae and plankton use the energy from the sun to produce their own food. They are the first link in any food chain. These producers provide food for all other living things. All living things need the energy from food to live, grow, and reproduce. Producers are eaten by consumers, and some consumers are eaten by other consumers. Scavengers clean up leftovers. Whatever is left behind is broken down by decomposers and eventually returned to the Earth as nutrients that nourish producers. Living things are linked together in food chains and food webs. All links in every food chain depend on each other. Energy can be tracked through energy pyramids, with producers at the base and levels of consumers stacking up to the apex predators. Understanding these relationships leads to an understanding of the circle of life and the flow of energy through living organisms in ecosystems.