Food Relationship among living things

Food Relationship Among Living Things

3.3

Food Relationship Among Living Things

Living things in a habitat depends on each other for food.
The sun is the main resource in the ecosystem, followed by producers and consumers.

Food chain

The food chain is the food relationship between living things.
Arrow -> means “eaten by”.
For example: Fruits -> Squirrels -> Snakes -> Eagles

Producer and consumer

The sun is the main source of energy because it supplies sunlight to plants.
Plants are known as producers, because plants can make their own food through the process of photosynthesis.
Animals that eat plants or other animals are known as consumers, because they get their energy source from other parties.

Consumers get energy from food eaten whether it is fruits or other animals. This relationship is known as the energy transfer.
The -> arrow in a food chain also indicates the flow of energy transfer
Based on the type of food eaten, animals can be classified into 3 groups:

Herbivore - Animal that eat plants.
Carnivore - Animal that eat other animals.
Omnivore - Animal that eats both plants and other animals.

Food web

A food web is a combination of several food chains in a habitat.
In one habitat, there are several food chains that exist.
Based on some of these food chains, we can combine them to form a food chain.

Effects of population change

A population is a group of living things or species found in a habitat
Population change indicates a change in the number of species in the habitat
Population changes in the food/web chain have an impact on other living things and will disrupt the entire ecosystem
In the event of a population change such as death in the food web, consumers will seek food in other habitats, or move to ensure the survival of their species

Among the reasons for changes in living populations are

Unplanned and extreme forest exploration
Forest fire
Illegal hunting activities
Extreme weather changes
The spread of a pandemic

If the number (population) of one animal changes, then the number (population) of other animals will also change (either increase/decrease).