Question

(a) What is a food chain? Give one example of a simple food chain.

(b) What is a 'food web'? Show its formation.

Answer 1

(a) The sequence of living organisms in a community in which one organism consumes another organism to transfer food energy is called a food chain. An example of a simple food chain is that operating in a grassland:

$\underset{\text{(Producer)}}{\text{Grass}}⟶\underset{\text{(Herbivore)}}{\text{Deer}}⟶\underset{\text{(Carnivore)}}{\text{Lion}}$

(b) The inter-connected food chains operating in an ecosystem that establish a network of relationships among various species comprise a food web.
A food web is formed by many food chains operating together. A food web operating in a grassland is shown in the figure.

Five food chains are possible in this food web, which is as follows.


1) Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Hawk

2) Grass → Grasshopper → Rat → Fox

3) Grass → Rabbit → Fox

4) Grass → Rat → Snake →Hawk

5) Grass → Rat → Hawk