| NSW Department of Education

Stage 4 Science – Food chains and

food webs student workbook

education.nsw.gov.au
 Table of contents
Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook ............................................. 1
Table of contents ........................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3
Lesson 1 – Investigating food chains and food webs ................................................................ 3
Activity 1: Exploring food chains ............................................................................................................... 5
Activity 2: Building food chains ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Activity 3: Investigating food webs ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Lesson 2 – Exploring Australian ecosystems........................................................................... 14

Activity 1: Constructing food webs .......................................................................................................... 15
Activity 2: A delicate balance .................................................................................................................. 21

Lesson 3 – Human impacts on ecosystems ............................................................................. 23

Activity 1: Human activities and our ecosystems .................................................................................... 24
Activity 2: Science at work ...................................................................................................................... 26

Teacher notes:
To complete Lesson 2, Activity 1- constructing food webs (mega-challenge in the coastal
scrubland), students will need printed copies of pages 9-10 from Exploring Australian Food
Webs.

2 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Introduction
In this learning sequence you will be investigate ecosystems to find out more about how
plants and animals within an ecosystem interact. You will construct and use food chains
and food webs to show how living things get their energy and nutrients in an ecosystem,
specifically exploring Australian ecosystems. Think about the important role of science in
understanding how plants and animals live together in a natural balance. Think about how
we protect the diversity of these ecosystems. You will look at how humans have impacted
on ecosystems and propose solutions. Throughout this learning sequence, there are
further exploration ideas and resources that you might choose to investigate.

We are learning to:

• understand how plants and animals are interact in an ecosystem

• construct and use food chains and food webs to show energy flows in an
ecosystem
• describe how changes to one species in a food chain affect other species
• understand how ecosystems can be affected by human activities

Success criteria
• I can successfully construct and use food chains and food webs
• I can describe how changes to one species in a food chain affect other species
• I can explain how human activities have impacted on ecosystems

Outcomes:
• identifies questions and problems that can be tested or researched and makes
predictions based on scientific knowledge SC4-4WS
• processes and analyses data from a first-hand investigation and secondary sources
to identify trends, patterns and relationships, and draw conclusions SC4-7WS
• selects and uses appropriate strategies, understanding and skills to produce
creative and plausible solutions to identified problems SC4-8WS
• presents science ideas, findings and information to a given audience using
appropriate scientific language, text types and representations lesson one –
investigating sound SC4-9WS
• explains how new biological evidence changes people's understanding of the world
SC4-15LW

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 3

 Lesson 1 – investigating food chains
and food webs
In this learning sequence we are going to be looking at ecosystems to find out more about
how plants and animals within an ecosystem are interact. If you are able, you might like to
use the QR code and watch the introductory video to get an overview of today’s lesson.

https://edu.nsw.link/qE

An ecosystem is a community of organisms interacting with their physical environment. It

includes all the living things (biotic factors) in a given area, and with their non-living
environments (abiotic factors). The physical surroundings of an ecosystem affect the type
of organisms present. Food chains and food webs can be used to show how living things
get their energy and nutrients in an ecosystem. As a scientist, it is important to study these
relationships to get a better understanding of how animals and plants live together so we
can protect the natural balance and diversity of these ecosystems.

Inquiry question: How do the living things within an ecosystem relate to each other?

About: Every living organism needs energy. In an ecosystem, plants and animals rely on
each other for energy. Organisms interact and use available resources such as food,
space, light, heat, water, air and shelter. Any changes in the natural balance of an
ecosystem can affect food chains and populations of organisms present.

Learning intentions:

• To understand how plants and animals are interact in an ecosystem

• To be able to use food chains and food webs

4 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Activity 1 – exploring food chains
If you are able, use the QR code to watch the video Food Chains & Food Webs.

Complete the following questions.

1. Use these words to complete the sentences.

plants omnivores carnivores animals eat

a. Animals can be grouped according to what they e______.

b. Humans usually eat both meat and plants, so we are in the group of animals called
o__________________.

c. Omnivores eat a__________ and p_____________.

d. C__________________ eat other animals or meat.

e. Herbivores only eat p_______________.

2. Write a definition for each of these terms and list some examples.

Term Definition Examples

carnivore
herbivore
omnivore
detritivore
decomposer
ecosystem

3. Plants make their own food so they are called producers. All food chains start with a
producer. Arrows in food chains show what ‘is eaten by’ something else. Here is
an example of a food chain:

a. Re-write the food chain using words.

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 5

 _____________ _____________ ______________

b. Complete the sentence below which describes the food chain as a sentence.
The grass is eaten by the c______ which is e______ by the h_________.

4. Now think of your own example of a food chain that you would find:

a. on land

b. in a creek, river or ocean

3. Make a list of factors that might change or disrupt the natural balance of food chain.
_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Check your understanding

1. Choose the best description of what is meant by the arrow in a food chain.

a. eats

b. is eaten by

c. uses the energy of

2. All food chains start with this kind of organism

6 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 a. carnivore

b. omnivore

c. plant

d. decomposer

Activity 2 – building food chains

Task: If you are able, go to the interactive Build a food chain. Complete the following
exercises that are all about food chains.

1. Use the word list to complete the food chains.

humans leaves fish grass bird

a. seaweed  ________________  shark

b. ________________  kangaroo  dingo

c. clover  cow  _________________

d. ________________  caterpillar  kookaburra

e. cabbage  cabbage moth  ________________

We can describe food chains in more detail as shown in the picture.

Producer Primary Secondary Tertiary

consumer Consumer Consumer
(first-order (second-order (third-order
consumer) consumer) consumer)

2. Why is the producer the first organism in a food chain?

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 7

 3. A herbivore eats plants so a herbivore is called a _______________ consumer.

4. A carnivore eats meat so it can be called a _______________ or _____________

consumer.

5. Are humans primary, secondary and/or tertiary consumers? Explain your answer.

If you are able, watch Energy flow in the coral reef ecosystem and construct as many food
chains as you can. Remember to always start with a plant.

Image 1 – an ocean ecosystem

Activity 3 – investigating food webs

In an ecosystem, there are many food chains. Each food chain shows what animals eat
but animals might eat more than one thing and be part of more than one food chain.
A food web consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. It shows the possible
paths that energy and nutrients move through the ecosystem. All of the interconnected
and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web.

Task: If you are able, watch the video The Food Web, showing an example of a food web
in the Everglades, Florida, USA. Complete the following exercises that are all about food
webs.

8 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 These living things are found in a bush ecosystem.

1. Label each living thing using the words:

ants frog beetle snake grasshopper

flower grass bird hawk

2. Complete different food chains for this bush ecosystem.

a. grass  _______________  __________________

b. grass  _______________  __________________

c. __________________  frog  ________________

d. __________________  frog  ________________  _______________

3. Draw each of these food chains on the picture below. Remember to draw the arrow to
show ‘is eaten by’. Do some animals eat more than one food? Do some of the food chains
overlap?

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 9

 4. Complete the food web by adding more arrows to show other possible food chains.

5. In the bushland food web above name

a. a producer
b. a primary consumer
c. a secondary consumer
d. a tertiary consumer

10 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 6. In the Arctic food web above name

a. the producer
b. a primary consumer
c. a secondary consumer
d. a tertiary consumer

7. How does each of these animals in the arctic food web obtain its energy and nutrients?

a. arctic cod
b. polar bear
c. arctic birds
d. killer whale

8. What could be the effect in the artic food web if people hunting seals killed a large
number of them? Explain your answer.

Further exploration
• Complete a study of one of your local ecosystems – make observations and
scientific drawings of some of the plants and animals that you see. If you can, you
might use https://prod-media.coolaustralia.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/03/06192815/Scientific-drawing-guidelines.pdf to help with
diagrams.
• Go for a walk in the bush or your local park and find a habitat tree.

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 11

 A habitat tree is an old tree that might have cracks in the bark, hollows, nests,
spider webs, other plants, fungi or mosses growing over it, and other visible habitat.
Draw and label your habitat tree and think about the types of animals and plants
that live in, on and around the tree eg possums, gliders, owls, birds, microbats,
spiders, lichen, ferns, insects and bugs. Make a photo collage of your habitat tree or
write a short story about the life of the tree and all its visitors.
• If you are able, you might like to explore the NSW ecosystems on show. What are
some of the issues related to conservation of an ecosystem around where you live?
• Phytoplankton (phyto – plant, plankton – wanderer) are the foundation of ocean
food webs as the primary producers. They are eaten by everything from
microscopic Zooplankton (zoo - animal, plankton – wanderer) to whales. Why do
you think phytoplankton are sometimes called the most important organisms on
Earth?

12 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Check you understanding

1. The correct food chain would be:

a. magpie goose  crocodile  wild rice

b. crocodile  magpie goose  wild rice

c. wild rice  crocodile  magpie goose

d. wild rice  magpie goose  crocodile

2. Classify each organism as a producer, consumer or

decomposer.

Student reflection
How do you feel about today’s learning?

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 13

 Lesson 2 – exploring Australian
ecosystems
Scientists study food webs so they can better understand how natural and human changes
affect ecosystems. If you were going to study the animals in an ecosystem, how would you
keep track of the numbers and types of animals there and whether there had been any
changes?

Animal numbers and types might be monitored by looking for animal tracks, scats (animal
faeces or poo), nests, feathers and fur and using motion-sensitive digital cameras. If you
are able, watch this video to find out about real science in the bush.

WildCount….where the wild things are

What do you think it would it be like to work in the bush looking for and tracking wildlife?

Complete a Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI) to record your ideas.

In this lesson you will working as a scientist to look closely at how animals and plants
interact in different ecosystems around Australia.

14 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Inquiry questions:
How do organisms in Australian ecosystems interact?
How do changes to one species in a food chain affect other species?

About: Understanding how animals and plants interact with each other and their physical
environment is important in helping to keep balanced ecosystems. Changes in the
Australian physical environment and human activities can have a significant impact on
ecosystems. Scientists play a key role in helping to keep our ecosystems healthy.

Learning intentions:

• To make food webs to show plant and animal interactions in ecosystems

• To understand how energy flows in an ecosystem
• To describe how changes to one species in a food chain affect other species

Activity 1 – constructing food webs

Task: If you are able, watch the video that helps explain how to construct a food web. Use
your skills to build different Australian food webs.

Challenge food web – dry sclerophyll bushland

Super-challenge food web – coastal wetland

Mega-challenge food web – coastal scrubland

https://edu.nsw.link/BrgNc3

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 15

 Challenge food web

These living things are found in the Australian bush. Use the information in the table to
answer the questions.

organism Diet

cicada

plant sap

spear grass

producer

goanna

insects, spiders, birds, eggs, small reptiles and mammals

mountain gum tree

producer

spotted tail quoll

insects, spiders, frogs and toads, small reptiles and mammals

wattle

producer

16 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 flying fox

flowers and fruit

insects, frogs, small reptiles and mammals

possum

leaves, some shrubs (mainly wattles), flowers and fruit

wallaby

grasses, leaves and fruit

magpie

insects, frogs, small lizards and meat scraps

echidna

insects, spiders, worms and other invertebrates

grasshopper

leaves, shoots and roots

wedge-tailed eagle

small reptiles and mammals, rabbits, possums, foxes and feral cats

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 17

 frog

insects and worms

1. The plants or producers are: ____________, ______________ and ____________.

2. The animals that eat plants (herbivores or primary producers) are ____________,

______________, ____________, ______________ and _______________.

3. In this bushland, name

e. a producer
f. a primary consumer
g. a secondary consumer
h. a tertiary consumer

4. Using the diagram below, draw arrows to show food chains in the bush ecosystem.
Remember to draw the arrow to show ‘is eaten by’. Do some animals eat more than one
food? Do some of the food chains overlap? You are making a bushland food web.

18 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 5. What could happen in this food web if feral cats or foxes invaded? Explain your answer.

organism Diet

feral cats

small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects

foxes

rabbits, small mammals, frogs, birds, insects, fruit, vegetables and grain.

6. Foxes are mainly carnivorous (meat- eating) scavengers and predators. What is the
difference between a scavenger and predator?

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 19

 Super-challenge food web

1. Read the information below.

The Water Mouse Xeromys myoides is a rare native small mammal found in Queensland.
It is nocturnal and lives in mangrove forests. The Water Mouse eats sea snails, slugs,
crabs, small mud lobsters, shellfish and worms. After eating, it leaves behind mounds of
shells and scraps of crabs and mud lobsters, so you can see where it has been. Tawny
frogmouth, carpet python and other snakes like to eat water mice.

Crabs and mud lobsters feed on the mangroves in the forest. Phytoplankton is the main
food for snails, slugs, worms and shellfish in the area. This coastal wetland habitat is being
threatened by land clearing, as well as feral animals. The Water Mouse is eaten by
predators like foxes and feral cats.

Image X: Water Mouse

2. Highlight or circle all the organisms

(plants and animals) named in the passage.

(Water Mouse, mangroves, sea snails, slugs, crabs, mud lobsters, Tawny frogmouth,
carpet python, snakes, phytoplankton, worms, shellfish, foxes, feral cats)

3. What is meant by:

a. nocturnal?
b. threatened?
c. predator?

4. Draw a food web for this coastal wetland ecosystem.

20 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Mega-challenge food web

For the mega-challenge in the coastal scrubland, you will need to get plant and animal
information on Exploring Australian Food Webs or your teacher may give you a print out of
pages 9-10. Each organism has information about:

Name What do I eat? What eats me?

1. Use the information about each organism to create a food web.

2. You might like to find pictures of these animals and plants and make a food web poster.

Activity 2 – a delicate balance

Task: If you able, watch the video Understanding food webs. For each of the food webs
that you have made, think about how we can protect the plants and animals and maintain
the ecosystems.

1. Why do you think it is important to understand and protect food webs in ecosystems?
Record your ideas below.

Why Because

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 21

 2. We rely on plants and animals for our food. Think about where your food comes from.
You might think about each part of the food you have eaten over the last day.

Use these words to complete the sentences.

goats pigs rice chickens potatoes cows wheat

a. Milk and cheese come from ________________ and ________________.

b. Eggs come from _________________.

c. Bacon comes from ________________.

d. Hot chips are made from __________________.

e. Noodles are made from _______________ and _________________.

Further exploration
If you are able, find out more about Wildcount. You might like to become a citizen scientist
and help track wildlife in your local area.

Go for a walk outside, in the bush, along the creek or river, in your local park or along the
beach. Take photos or draw examples of living things in a local ecosystem.

Make a plant or insect collection.

Write a creative story of ‘A Day in the Life of’ a chosen animal in your local area.

Student reflection
How do you feel about today’s learning? (smiley faces)

22 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Lesson 3 – human impacts on
ecosystems
In this lesson you will be looking at how human activities can impact on ecosystems.

How do humans affect ecosystems? We might have positive or negative effects on plants
and animals in the ecosystems. Use the Brainstorm bubble to record your ideas.

Inquiry questions: How can human activities affect food chains, food webs and
ecosystems?

About: Sometimes activities of humans affect the numbers of one species in a food chain.
Humans activities can destroy natural habitats of plants, animals and other organisms or
directly impact on animal and plant numbers. These activities include land clearing,
pollution, urbanisation, industrialisation, tourism and introduced pest species. Climate
change is also having a direct impact on ecosystems in Australia.

Learning intentions:

• To understand how ecosystems can be impacted by human activities

• To be able to suggest possible solutions to the problem of plastic pollution

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 23

 Activity 1 – human activities and our
ecosystems

Task: If you are able, watch the video So much plastic! Look at the pictures above. What
do you See, Think and Wonder?

What do you see?

What do you think?

What do you wonder?

In this activity you will investigate the problem of plastic pollution. Humans’ plastic waste
can affect food chains and food webs in the ocean.

There are lots of ways that we can all help solve the problem of plastic pollution. For
example, we can pick up plastic litter, stop using single use plastic bags, recycle plastics
when we can or avoid buying bottled water. What are some other solutions to the problem
of plastic pollution?

24 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 Complete the fishbone diagram to help develop your ideas.

What can you do to help?

How would this improve the health of the ocean food web?

Further exploration

• If you were to design a device for removing plastic (including very tiny pieces of
microplastic) from the ocean, what would it look like? How would it work? Feel free
to draw it!

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 25

 Activity 2 – Science at work

A student had been learning about food webs and ocean ecosystems. They were
interested in finding out more about algae. On a coral reef, algae capture energy from the
Sun to produce oxygen and sugars which they provide to the coral polyps. Many different
fish eat algae. The student thought about the effect of climate change and wondered what
might happen to the algae if the water became warmer. The student decided to do an
experiment. If you are able, you might like to watch the video that works through the
experiment.

https://edu.nsw.link/vDVz03

1. Which of these would be a good prediction for the student’s experiment?

a. Algae grow better in sea water.

b. More algae will grow in warmer sea water.

26 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 c. Weigh the amount of algae in the sea water.
d. There is a large amount of algae in sea water.

2. The student decided to use four fish tanks in their experiment.

They wanted to see how the temperature of sea water affects the growth of algae.

Which variables should the student keep the same (constant)? Tick Yes or No.

Variabl Yes No

Time taken to grow

Amount of light
Mass of algae
Temperature of water
Water quality
Size of fish tank

3. Which variable would the student observe to get their results for each tank?

Time taken to grow

Amount of light
Mass of algae
Temperature of water
Water quality
Size of fish tank

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 27

 4. Write a suitable hypothesis for this experiment.

5. The student used a spring balance to measure mass. The diagrams show the resulting
mass of the algae and beaker at four different temperatures.

Complete the results table using these diagrams.

Mass of algae and

Temperature of water
beaker after
(oC) (g)

20
28
32
40

28 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook

 6. The mass of the algae and beaker at the start of the experiment was 50g.

The change in mass is a measure of how much the algae grew.

Fill in the Mass of algae and beaker after column.

Calculate the change in mass for each temperature and record in the table below.

eg. for 20oC

change of mass of algae = mass of algae and beaker – mass of algae and beaker
after before

change of mass of algae = 55.2 – 50.0

= 5.2g

Temperature of water Mass of algae and Mass of algae and Change in mass of
beaker before beaker after algae
(oC)
(g) (g) (g)
20 50
28 50
32 50
40 50

7. Plot these results using a line graph below. One point has been plotted for you.

© NSW Department of Education, Sep-21 29

 8. What conclusion could the student make based on these results? Was the hypothesis
accepted or rejected?

9. Describe one improvement you would make to this experimental design.

30 Stage 4 Science – Food chains and food web student workbook