Animals and plants are linked by food chains
Animals get energy and nutrients by eating other animals or plants.
For example
- caterpillars eat leaves
- small birds eat caterpillars
- owls eat small birds
- eagles eat owls
These links between animals and plants are called food chains.
Nearly all food chains start with a green plant.
Changes to food chains
If one part of a food chain alters, the whole food chain is affected. For example, if a disease suddenly wiped out caterpillars, it would affect owls, eagles and many other animals.
Most animals and plants are part of more than one food chain.
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