Science·Ecosystems & Habitats·conceptual
Food Webs & Interdependence
Construct and interpret food webs showing the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, explaining how a change in one population affects others
Suggested ages 11–12
Evidence of understanding
- Draws a food web from given data with arrows showing energy flow direction
- Predicts how the population of one species would change if another species increased or decreased
- Distinguishes a food web from a food chain and explains why webs are more realistic
- Identifies producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and apex predators
Assessment prompt
If Food Webs & Interdependence was shown a diagram with lots of animals connected by arrows, could they explain what it means — tracing what eats what — and predict what would happen if one animal disappeared from the web?
Standards alignment
MS-LS2-1US · ngss-ms
MS-LS2-1
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Middle School
KS3.Sci.Bio.Ecosystem.1GB · uk-nc-2013
Interdependence in an ecosystem
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · KS3