AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Food chains that are connected to each other are called food webs. When an animal dies it is eaten up by worms, bacteria and other organisms. These so-called decomposers break down animals and plants into small parts and enrich soil so that other plants can grow better.

Detailed explanation-2: -A food web is all of the food chains in an ecosystem. Each organism in an ecosystem occupies a specific trophic level or position in the food chain or web. Producers, who make their own food using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, make up the bottom of the trophic pyramid.

Detailed explanation-3: -Thus the living part of a food chain always starts with plant life and ends with an animal. Plants are called producers because they are able to use light energy from the sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water. Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat plants and/or other animals.

Detailed explanation-4: -All of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web.

Detailed explanation-5: -Food web is a network of large number of food chains existing in an ecosystem which shows the linkages among the various species.