A food web is a diagram illustrating
the feeding relationships between the plants and animals in a
certain area. Basically who eats whom. They show the relationships
between these organisms much more realistically than a food chain
or trophic pyramids.
A true food web that considers all
the plants and animals in a system is bound to be unweildy and
confusing. Consider the food web below: it only deals with the
different foods that herring eat throughout their life stages.
Don't worry if you can't read it, just see how complex it is.
What we've done to simplify things
is pick plants and animals representative of different levels
within the food web. Simpy click below on a member of our food
web and start exploring!
As a challenge, try drawing the food
web out after with arrows showing who eats whom. Then take different
organisms out and see what happens. Good luck!
All drawings by Morgan
Check out other food web sites!
Cool Antarctica food web
WWF Oceans Page
Ocean Oasis Teacher's guide: Ocean Life Food Web activity
to marine biodiversity index
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