Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 22

Food Chains, Food Webs and Energy Pyramids

Foundation Worksheet

Name
Date
Class

Learning Goals

Match each term to its definition

Draw a line connecting each term on the left to its correct definition on the right. Or write the matching letter next to each term.

TermYour answerDefinition
ProducerA. A diagram showing how energy decreases at each feeding level, with the widest base at the bottom.
Primary consumerB. An organism that makes its own food using sunlight; the starting point of every food chain.
Secondary consumerC. A network of many interconnected food chains showing all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
Trophic levelD. An organism that eats a primary consumer; the third link in a food chain.
Energy pyramidE. The position an organism holds in a food chain, numbered from producer (level 1) upward.
Food webF. An organism that eats producers directly; usually a herbivore at trophic level 2.

Order the steps

The organisms below are all part of the same Australian food chain. Number them from 1 (first, the producer) to 5 (last, the apex predator). Then, on the lines below the table, write out the complete food chain using arrows (→) to show the direction of energy flow.

Order (1–5)OrganismTrophic level name
Frog
Grasshopper
Eagle
Grass
Snake

Write out the complete food chain using arrows (→):

Which way does the arrow point, from eaten to eater, or from eater to eaten? Why?

1. A food chain shows: grass → caterpillar → magpie → wedge-tailed eagle. What trophic level is the magpie, and what type of consumer is it?

Recall 2 marks

2. Why does an energy pyramid get narrower toward the top? What happens to the energy that is not passed on?

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?