Task 1:

If you are going to design a food web, there are a few things you must know first.

The first step is to record the following to be turned in for this assignment.

• What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
• Define the following terms: autotroph, heterotroph, herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore.
• What are the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food web?

Task 2:

After you know the answer to each of the questions above, you will be ready to begin designing your food web. As you know, there are many different types of food webs depending on the region and ecosystem.

You have been assigned one of the following ecosystems to design your food web on:

Rainforest Pond/Lake

Tundra Swamp

Tidepool Deciduous Forest

Ocean Grassland/Prairie

Desert Savannah

You will now do some research to find out information about your ecosystem in order to create your food web.

Food Web Requirements

• There must be at least fifteen living organisms in your food web.
• There must be at least three producers, five consumers, and two decomposers.
• All of the organisms must be from the correct habitat.
• Your food web must contain pictures and names of each living thing. It may be computer generated or neatly hand-drawn - your choice!
• Each organism must be labeled as either a producer, consumer, or decomposer.
• The arrows must be drawn to correctly represent the energy flow from one living organism to another.

Each student's food web will be displayed in our classroom.

Task 3:

With all of the above information, you are ready for your final task! You have been assigned a role as either a producer, consumer, or decomposer. Choose one of the living organisms in your food web that has that role. You now need to write a paper about a day in the life of that living organism.

Position Paper Requirements

• Your paper MUST be written from the perspective of your organism. (For example, if you are a polar bear, you have to write your paper as if YOU are the polar bear.)
• You must state the living organism that you are.
• You must include AT LEAST three important facts about your organism.
• You must describe your role in the food web (are you a producer, consumer, or decomposer?).
• You must discuss the types of organisms that you eat.
• Describe the ecosystem that your organism and your food web is in.
• Describe how you interact with other living organisms in your food web.
• If your species were to decrease in population, how would that affect your food web?
• If your species were to increase in population, how would that affect your food web?

Remember - your paper should be written from the viewpoint of the living organism that you have chosen.

Have fun with this! Be creative!