Energy on the Move
Food webs are diagrams that show the flow of energy among organisms. Arrows
show the direction in which energy flows (moves). Energy from the Sun is
collected by producers to make their food, so plants are usually the first part of a
food web.
Study the food web on the left. The green plant has 3 arrows coming from it. Energy from the green plant goes to the mouse, rabbit, and goat.
Follow the arrow to the mouse. Energy from the mouse goes to the snake, owl, and wild cat.
Where does the jackal get its energy? Find the jackal. Two arrows are pointed toward the jackal. Jackals get energy from goats and
rabbits. Now take a look at the arrow from the jackal to the lion. Lions get energy from jackals.
Koalas and Ecosystems
An ecosystem is comprised of living and nonliving things that interact in an area.
Biotic (living) components, such as plants, bacteria, and animals interact with
each other. Abiotic (nonliving) components like oxygen, water, soil, and sunlight
impact organisms, too.
Let’s look at how koalas interact with components of their ecosystem. Native to Australia, koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees, sleeping and eating leaves for energy and hydration. Koalas rely on eucalyptus trees for shelter, protection, food, and water. Koalas and eucalyptus trees are two living things that interact.
Koalas impact their environment, too. They take in oxygen, are prey to larger mammals, and leave their droppings as nutrients for the soil. Eucalyptus trees then use the nutrients for growth.
Fire has a tremendous impact on koalas. When a bushfire occurs, eucalyptus trees burn and koalas lose their habitat and source of food and water.
