Got Energy? Spinning a Food Web
Students learn about energy flow in food webs, including the roles of the sun, producers, consumers and decomposers in the energy cycle. They model a food web and create diagrams of food webs using their own drawings and/or images from nature or wildlife magazines. Students investigate the links between the sun, plants and animals, building their understanding of the web of nutrient dependency and energy transfer.
Students investigate food websCopyright Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/121935927@N06/13578885414
Understanding energy flow and transfer helps many engineers do their jobs. Some engineers improve energy efficiency and develop viable renewable energy sources. Other engineers design and develop new technologies that improve food and energy production, or measure, model or predict the climate and weather energy cycles. Some engineers design and develop human-created environments, such as biodomes and space stations. Other engineers use their understanding of the natural energy cycles and food webs as they work to minimize the impact on ecosystems of a new dam or river re-routing.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Compare and contrast producers and consumers in a food chain or food web.
- Diagram the flow of energy through simple food chains and food webs.
- Explain how engineers use knowledge of energy flow through food chains and webs to work with new energy sources, technologies and designed environments.