Aquatic Food Web Lower Level_01

In some ways, a sea food web is like a food web you find on land. Instead of big animals eating little animals, you might have big fish, eating little fish.

You already know the Sun is where energy comes from on Earth. Because of this fact, plants form the start of any food web. On land, these plants would be producers.

Plants make their own food using the energy from the Sun. Is it that simple for a sea food web?

Because the bottom of the ocean is very dark, where would the plants grow?

Most plants in the ocean float near the surface where there is still a lot of sunlight. Just like on land, the plants use the Sun’s energy to make their own food. Other than big seaweed, you may not even notice it if you are not looking closely.

The most seen plants are algae and diatoms. These tiny plants are called phytoplankton. You can think of phytoplankton as the plants of the sea.

Just like on land, some animals cannot make their own food. These animals are called consumers. Some consumers eat plants.

One of the most seen animals that eats phytoplankton is zooplankton. Zooplankton drift through the water eating the phytoplankton. Can you think of a tiny creature on land like zooplankton that eats plants like phytoplankton?. How will you ever keep these big terms from becoming confusing? Simple, you go to the zoo to see animals.