Constructing Sonoran Desert Food Chains and Food Webs
An example food chain.Copyright 2006 Wendy Holmgren, Vanderbilt University
Is the food chain shown above accurate? Does the first link depict a producer, the second link a herbivore, and the third link an omnivore / carnivore? Students must correctly determine whether a species is a producer or consumer, and what type of consumer; herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. Students are provided with a list of Sonoran Desert species and asked to construct, within their groups, several food chains. These food chains are then be used to construct a food web. In order to complete this activity, students must first research the individual species to understand their feeding habits.
This activity requires students to discover the design of food chains and food webs and then must understand how the two fit together. Understanding the current design before modifying or adding to it is very important in the engineering design process. It also begins to lay the foundations of understanding how natural systems provide for themselves. As students continue in their study of ecological relationships, bridges begin to form that allow them to connect ecological relationships to the fundamentals of engineering design.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand how to construct a food chain.
- Understand how to construct a food web.
- Develop a deeper understanding for how a community's health is dependent upon the species and type of species that live there.