Program Objectives     Topics Covered       Pricing

Food Chains and Webs illustrates one of the most fundamental concepts in life science: how organisms in biological communities depend upon one another for energy and survival.

Learn about different types of autotrophs and heterotrophs and their niches. Explore different ways of examining community trophic structures through various food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids. Biological magnification and human interactions with food chains and webs wrap up the program and demonstrate the interrelatedness of communities and their relevance to students' lives.

Topics covered in this program include: Energy Transfer through Living Things; Producers, Consumers and Decomposers; Photosynthesis and Chemosynthesis in Autotrophs; Different Feeding Styles of Heterotrophs; Community Trophic Structure; Food Chains; Food Webs; Ecological Pyramids; Energy Availability in a Community; Biological Magnification; Overpopulation and Human Interactions with Food Chains and Webs.

Presentation
The Presentation portion of this program includes audio-narrated scenes featuring the content from the objectives.

Interactive Lessons
Students can work through different activities that directly reinforce the information learned in the Presentation.

Program Objectives

I. Introduction

A. Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers

B. Community Structure and Niches

II. Autotrophs

A. Photoautotrophs

B. Chemoautotrophs

III. Heterotrophs

A. Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores

B. Detritovores

IV. Food Chains

A. Community Trophic Structure

B. Food Chains Show Feeding Relationships

1. Example

2. The First Link is Filled with Primary Producers

3. Primary Consumers Fill the Second Link

4. Secondary Consumers Fill the Third Link

5. Tertiary Consumers Fill the Fourth Link

6. Some Food Chains Have Higher-Order Consumers

C. Food Chains Aren't Restricted to Particular Communities

D. Omnivores Feed at Various Levels

V. Food Webs

A. Food Webs Show Variety in Community Members' Diets

B. Removing Organism can Cause Ripple Effects

VI. Ecological Pyramids

A. Energy Pyramids

B. Numbers Pyramids and Biomass Pyramids

C. Energy Losses Limit Numbers of Higher Order Consumers

D. Ecological Pyramids can Illustrate Biological Magnification

1. DDT Example in Fish-Eating Birds

2. Mercury Example in Humans – Minimata Japan

VII. Human Interactions with Food Chains and Webs

VIII. Conclusion

		Designed with these features, or to meet the needs of the listed grade levels.

		Contains some of the listed features, or should be appropriate depending on students skill level.

Institutional Pricing:

Hybrid CD-ROM LabPack, 5 $240.00
Order #: X0991112HYL5

Hybrid CD-ROM LabPack, 10 $420.00
Order #: X0991112HYLX

Please call 1-800-745-4557 to Specify Windows or Mac

Specify Mac or Windows Network, 10 $240.00
Order #: X0991112HYNX

Specify Mac or Windows Network, 30 $540.00
Order #: X0991112HYNZ

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