MYP Biology Topic Food Chains and Webs Revision Notes

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MYP Biology Topic Food Chains and Webs Revision Notes | RevisionDojo

Written by official IB examiners

What Do Food Chains And Food Webs Show?

Food chains and food webs describe feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
They show who eats whom and how organisms depend on each other for energy and nutrients.
The Energy Transfer article explained why energy decreases at higher trophic levels.
This article builds on that idea by showing how organisms connect into feeding pathways that influence ecosystem stability.
The goal is to understand not just how energy moves, but also species interdependence.

Definition

Food chain

A simple, linear sequence showing how energy and nutrients pass from producers to consumers across trophic levels (e.g., producer → herbivore → carnivore → apex predator).

Definition

Food web

An interconnected network of multiple food chains that maps all feeding relationships in an ecosystem, showing species with multiple food sources and roles across trophic levels.

What Is A Food Chain?

A food chain is a simple, linear sequence showing how energy and nutrients pass from producers to consumers.
1. Producer → Herbivore → Carnivore → Apex Predator.
Each step in the chain is a trophic level.

Definition

Trophic level

The position an organism occupies in a feeding sequence.

Note

Food chains help introduce feeding roles, but they oversimplify real ecosystems.

What Roles Do Organisms Play In A Food Chain?

Producers: plants and algae that make food using photosynthesis.
Primary consumers: herbivores that eat producers.
Secondary consumers: carnivores or omnivores that eat primary consumers.
Tertiary consumers: carnivores that eat secondary consumers.
Apex predators: top predators with no natural predators.
Detritivores and decomposers: worms, fungi, and bacteria that break down dead material and recycle nutrients.

Tip

Decomposers maintain ecosystem health by completing nutrient cycles.

Exam technique

In the MYP eAssessment of N20, Question 1a required organizing organisms into a food chain.
The key exam skill is to identify the producer first, followed by consumers in the correct feeding order.
Energy always flows from plants to herbivores and then to carnivores, not the other way around.

What Is A Food Web?

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Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

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Note

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Tip

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MYP Biology Food Chains and Webs Notes

What Do Food Chains And Food Webs Show?

What Is A Food Chain?

What Roles Do Organisms Play In A Food Chain?

What Is A Food Web?

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Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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What Do Food Chains And Food Webs Show?

What Is A Food Chain?

What Roles Do Organisms Play In A Food Chain?

What Is A Food Web?

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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Cells7 subtopics

Organisms7 subtopics

Processes10 subtopics

Metabolism4 subtopics

Evolution7 subtopics

Interactions with environment6 subtopics

Interactions between organisms5 subtopics

Human interactions with environments3 subtopics

Biotechnology3 subtopics

MYP Biology Food Chains and Webs Notes

Cells7 subtopics

Organisms7 subtopics

Processes10 subtopics

Metabolism4 subtopics

Evolution7 subtopics

Interactions with environment6 subtopics

Interactions between organisms5 subtopics

Human interactions with environments3 subtopics

Biotechnology3 subtopics

What Do Food Chains And Food Webs Show?

What Is A Food Chain?

What Roles Do Organisms Play In A Food Chain?

What Is A Food Web?

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

What Do Food Chains And Food Webs Show?

What Is A Food Chain?

What Roles Do Organisms Play In A Food Chain?

What Is A Food Web?

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account