Sixth Grade
Worksheets
The Food Chain Loop
A food chain is a series linked together. Food chains of land animals usually start with a plant. Food chains of ocean animals usually start with algae. We say plants and algae are at the bottom of the food chain. The plant or algae makes its own food using sunlight. Then it is eaten by an animal. That animal is eaten by a bigger animal. That animal might be eaten by an even bigger animal. Each plant and animal is a link in the food chain.
Plants and algae are the producers in food chains. They produce their own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. The process is called photosynthesis. All food chains begin with energy from the sun. The energy of light is changed into chemical energy in plants (and algae). The energy is stored in the plants' tissues. When animals eat the plants, they get some of the stored energy.
Eaters in the food chain can be divided into three groups. There are animals that eat only plants. They are called herbivores. Cows, rabbits, and grasshoppers are some herbivores.
