2.) Develop a model of a food web based on examples from the article. The model should include producers, consumers, and/ or decomposers as well as demonstrate the flow and transfer of energy.

To develop a model of a food web, we need to identify the key components: producers, consumers, and decomposers. Here’s a step-by-step approach to creating a food web model based on typical examples found in ecological articles. ### Step 1: Identify Producers Producers are organisms that can make their own food through photosynthesis. Common examples include: - **Plants** (e.g., grass, shrubs, trees) - **Phytoplankton** (in aquatic ecosystems) ### Step 2: Identify Consumers Consumers are organisms that cannot produce their own food and rely on other organisms for energy. They can be classified into different levels: - **Primary Consumers**: Herbivores that eat producers. - Examples: - Grasshoppers (eat grass) - Deer (eat shrubs) - **Secondary Consumers**: Carnivores that eat primary consumers. - Examples: - Frogs (eat grasshoppers) - Foxes (eat rabbits) - **Tertiary Consumers**: Carnivores that eat secondary consumers. - Examples: - Owls (eat frogs) - Eagles (eat foxes) ### Step 3: Identify Decomposers Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil. Examples include: - **Bacteria** - **Fungi** - **Earthworms** ### Step 4: Demonstrate Energy Flow Energy flows through the food web from producers to various levels of consumers and finally to decomposers. This can be represented as follows: 1. **Producers** (e.g., Grass, Shrubs) → 2. **Primary Consumers** (e.g., Grasshoppers, Deer) → 3. **Secondary Consumers** (e.g., Frogs, Foxes) → 4. **Tertiary Consumers** (e.g., Owls, Eagles) → 5. **Decomposers** (e.g., Bacteria, Fungi) ### Step 5: Create the Food Web Model You can visualize the food web as a diagram with arrows indicating the flow of energy: ``` Grass Shrubs | | v v Grasshoppers Deer | | v v Frogs Rabbits | | v v Owls Foxes | | v v Decomposers (Bacteria, Fungi) ``` ### Conclusion This model illustrates the interconnectedness of different organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy is transferred from one level to another. Each component plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.