What is a food web and how is it different from a food chain?
Q: What is a food web and how is it different from a food chain?
A: A food web is a diagram that combines many food chains into energy relationships among organisms, while a food chain is a linear sequence of organisms connected in their feeding relationships.
Q: What do the arrows in a food web indicate?
A: The arrows in a food web indicate the direction of energy flow, pointing from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it.
Q: What are the two extreme categories of a food web?
A: The two extreme categories (trophic levels) of a food web are the autotrophs and the heterotrophs.
Q: What is the gradient that exists in a food web?
A: The gradient that exists in a food web refers to different kinds of feeding relationships, such as herbivory, carnivory, scavenging, and parasitism.
Q: What does organic matter eaten by heterotrophs provide?
A: Organic matter eaten by heterotrophs, such as sugars, provides energy.
Q: What is the size range of autotrophs and heterotrophs in a food web?
A: Autotrophs and heterotrophs come in all sizes, from microscopic to many tonnes.
Q: What are some examples of autotrophs and heterotrophs in a food web?
A: Examples of autotrophs in a food web include cyanobacteria and giant redwoods, while examples of heterotrophs include viruses and blue whales.
