What Is a Food Chain?

A food chain is an outline of who eats what in an ecosystem. It follows how energy and nutrients move down one single path and describes the relationships of the various organisms along the chain. Organisms are broken down into three basic levels along the food chain:

• Producers — The first level of every food chain. Producers make their own food.
• Consumers — This level of the food chain can be broken down into herbivores (who eat producers), secondary consumers (who eat herbivores), tertiary consumers (who eat secondary consumers), and predators (who eat other consumers).
• Decomposers — These organisms break down organic waste, turning it into soil that is then used by producers. 

This poster provides a basic visualisation of how food chains work using the following vocabulary:

• Primary producer
• Primary consumer
• Secondary consumer
• Tertiary consumer
• Quaternary consumer
• Decomposer

Multiple Applications for This Food Chain Poster

While this poster will look wonderful displayed on your classroom wall, its versatility extends far beyond a mere classroom display! Use this food chain poster to enhance your students’ learning through whole-class analysis and discussion. Use guiding questions to explore the flow of energy through the food chain, such as:

• What are the producers in this food chain?
• What are the consumers in this food chain?
• What are the decomposers in this food chain?

Explore the interconnectivity of the organisms by asking students to predict what might happen if a particular producer or consumer was removed from the food chain.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the full-colour or black-and-white version of this resource.