Green plants make their own food by a process called photosynthesis. They also use nutrients and water from the soil to grow. Primary consumers (insects, chipmunks, mice and deer) eat green plants.

Alligator weed is a non-native species of plant in the United States that can damage waterways by clogging them and reducing water flow. Also, it grows in a way that reduces light penetration into the water. Alligator weed is being reduced by a few different insects that were released as biological control agents, such as the alligator weed flea beetle.

This educational web site features life forms of deep sea hydrothermal systems. Hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, this site offers a brief introduction of the community and then focuses on Vestimentiferan tube worms, Vescomyid clams, and Bathymodiolid mussels. The site includes interactive games, teacher resources, a glossary, and more.

Deer are herbivores, meaning they graze on plants. Deer are consumed by coyotes, which use their keen eyesight and speed to attack the deer.

Owls sit high in trees and use their head-turning ability to search for food such as snakes, spiders, and small rodents (skunks, mice, and chipmunks). They do not eat plants and are considered carnviores.

Chipmunks stuff small plants and insects into their cheeks when they feed. Skunks and coyotes hunt the small mammals.

Toads eat spiders, insects, and earthworms by hiding in burrows and attacking at night. However, they are hunted by snakes and coyotes.

Coyotes are top consumers in any food web, meaning they eat primary producers (plants) and consumers such as insects, spiders, toads, small mammals (chipmunks, skunks, and mice), and large mammals (deer). No animals eat coyotes, except maybe the occasional human.

Diamonds are created by the earth over many years. They are actually made of carbon atoms that are arranged in a specific lattice pattern.

Earthworms are decomposers that feed on dead plants, animals, and insects.

The emerald ash borer is an insect that was introduced to the United States on accident. The larvae of this insect feed on essential parts of the ash tree. This non-native species has killed several million trees already.

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, describes the energy flow in a coral reef, including its food web.

This exercise can be used to study population ecology, food webs and trophic levels. It is meant to give students a better understanding of the interrelatedness of organisms in a community by studying several common local relationships.

FLOW is a comprehensive curriculum about the Great Lakes ecosystem with three core units: Food Web, Water and Fish. Geared toward upper elementary and middle school educators, standards-based lesson content features hands-on activities.

Just as frogs eat insects, frogs provide food for those animals bigger than themselves in the food chain. Numbers of frogs can also plummet when frogs "migrate" across roads to seek ponds and rivers.

Food webs are an interconnection of producers, consumers, and decomposers. It is important to understand that a change to any level of the food web directly and indirectly affects other organisms within the food web.

The lowest level of a food web includes producers, which are plants that make their own energy from the sun. Animals that eat these producers are called primary consumers, and consumers that eat other consumers are called secondary consumers. Decomposers break down dead plants and animals to release nutrients into the soil.

The garlic mustard plant was introduced as an herb to the United States. The problem with the plant is that it grows quickly, its seeds are viable for several years after production, and the insects and fungi that normally feed on the garlic mustard plant are not located in the U.S. Also, deer do not feed on these plants, so they tend to spread well in forested areas. Garlic mustard plants feed on fungi that are essential to the growth and life cycles of some trees.

This NOAA sponsored website offers a collection of hyperlinks to red tide related articles, distribution maps, photographs, news, and meetings. Links include basic information about red tide, how red tide affects humans and ecosystems, the latest news about red tide and other harmful algal blooms (HABs), and information about red tide-based meetings and conferences.