RELATIONSHIPS IN ECOSYSTEMS - FOOD CHAINS
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We have been studying that, in ecosystems, living things are related. The relationships between living things can be classified in many different ways.
One way of classifying those relationships, in a very basic way, is dividing them into intraspecific and interspecific relationships: |
- Intraspecific relationships exist between members of the same specie. For example: two lions hunting together.
- Interspecific relationships exist between members of different species. For example: a lion eating a zebra.
There is a more complex way of classifying the relationships between living things: predation, mutualism (cooperation), competition, comensalism and parasitism.
FOOD CHAIN
In ecosystems, some living things eat and some living things are eaten. A food chain shows those "eating" relationships . There are many different food chains, because they depend on the plants and animals involved in them.
All plants and animals need energy, but they get that energy in different ways:
In ecosystems, some living things eat and some living things are eaten. A food chain shows those "eating" relationships . There are many different food chains, because they depend on the plants and animals involved in them.
All plants and animals need energy, but they get that energy in different ways:
- Plants get their energy from the sun: they produce their own food.
- Animals get their energy from eating other living things: they "consume" living things.
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On the following animation you can see an explanation about ecosystems relationships and the food chain.
(From http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/storybooks/foodchain.swf)
(From http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/storybooks/foodchain.swf)
Let's watch a couple of videos to ease all this explanation.
On the first video you will review the difference between intraspecific and interspecific relationships.
On the first video you will review the difference between intraspecific and interspecific relationships.
On the second video you will review all the information about food chains.
Would you like to play some games about ecosystem relationships and food chains? Click here to go to the games section.