Understand Simple Food Chains

Have you ever heard about the old lady who swallowed a fly?

 

 

"There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly!"

 

 

Don't worry - it's just a poem, she isn't real!

 

 

But the poem is a little bit like how a food chain works!

 

In nature, there are different animals and plants that work together, to keep nature balanced - everything in nature has a job to do and a part to play.


The roles are:

 

Producers - that make their own food, like plants.

This grass is a producer and makes its own food.

 

 

Prey - that are eaten by other animals.

This snail is prey to another animal.

 

 

Predators - eat other animals.

This owl is a predator.

 

 

Anything that eats another animal or plant, is a 'consumer'. Consume is a scientific word for 'eat'!

Let's look at a food chain together.

 

Sun	Plant Producer	Ladybird Consumer	Sparrow Consumer	Fox     Consumer

 

The Sun gives energy to all living things.  Plants use energy from the Sun to make their own food, which makes them a producer.

 

Ladybirds eat plants and other small insects, so they are a consumer.

 

Sparrows eat small insects and plants, so they are also a consumer.

 

Foxes eat small birds and mice, so they are a consumer too.

 

There is one big difference between foxes and sparrows and that is their role.

 

A fox is a predator, which means they eat other animals.

 

A sparrow is both predator and prey. They are prey for a fox, but they are also a predator for the ladybird and other small insects that they enjoy eating.

 

The ladybird is only prey because it is hunted and eaten by sparrows and other birds.

 

Today, we will look at food chains in different places in nature. Try to remember these roles, or check back here if you aren't sure by clicking on the red help button on the screen.