What Are Food Chains and Food Webs?

The spoken lesson

"A food chain shows one simplified path through which organisms obtain energy and matter. Producers such as plants and algae build organic matter using light or chemical energy. Consumers eat organisms or their products. Decomposers and detritivores process dead material and waste. The arrow points from the food toward the organism receiving energy and matter. Real ecosystems contain many connected feeding paths, creating food webs. Energy moves through the web and is gradually dispersed as heat. Matter and nutrients return through waste, death, and decomposition. Food chains show one pathway; food webs show many connected pathways of energy and matter." DESIGN REQUIREMENTS: Use correct arrow direction and connected webs. Avoid graphic predation, predator morality, human chase games, neat pyramid oversimplification, or loose cords around children.