Food Chains and Food Webs

Food chains and food webs are very similar. However, the are very different at the same time. Many people get these representations mixed up. Recently in class, I have learned the difference between the two. Both food chains and food webs identify what an animal eats in eats ecosystem, community, evnironment, and/or habitat. However the food chain will only show one thing that the organism will eat, and one thing that will eat the organism. Don't get me wrong, a food chain has over 3 items on it. However, they will procede in a line. This excludes the decomposers which would fit at the beginning before the producers, and at the end after the last consumers shown. If you are looking for a more detailed reference you may want to looks at a food web or many food chains. Likewise, a food web is many food chains that belong to a certain ecosystem combined to show a more detailed representation of the ecosystem's food chains.

Three Interesting Facts: One interesting fact about food webs are that decomposers are left out of almost every food web (not food chain) because the could fit in the beginning or the middle. Another interesting fact is scavengers which eat dead animals are also commenly left our of food chains/food webs. Lastly, the largest official (in a way) food chain is as follows: Phytoplankton -> Zooplankton -> Crustacean -> Fish -> Squid-> Seal -> Killer Whale.

Facts From Other Sources: A simple way to remember the differences between food webs and food chains are food chains follow a single path as animals eat each other and eat producers. Food webs show how many animals are interconnected by different paths. Another facts is that humans have a major impact on food chains/webs. For example, when we spray pesticides we put an intire food chain in danger. Breaking one link in a food chain causes to put everything above that link in danger of extinction. This is sort-of like a domino effect.

Opinion: I think that this is not a opinion man can make because if we want to survive then we have to let nature work in the way it was naturally started as. I think that we do have a large impact on this environment by hunting and fishing. We do have to have food to eat but we have to make sure we do not disturb any food chains or food webs while we do so.

Citation:

Images:

The image at the top (food web) is from the following URL: http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/ecology/s13.jpg

The second image at the top (food chain) is from the following URL: http://www.jenningsk12.net/WE/peimann/Science/FoodChains/food_chain.jpe

Resources:

First fact (from other sources): "What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?" ScienceBob. 2008. 27 Oct. 2008 http://www.sciencebob.com/lab/q-web-chain.html.

Second Fact (from other sources): "The Food Chain." 27 Oct. 2008 . http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/food.htm