AQA · GCSE · Biology
Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018
Feeding relationships within a community can be represented by food chains.
Full specification wording
Levels of organisation: Feeding relationships within a community can be represented by food chains.
A community is the populations of different species living together in a habitat.
Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 12
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
A community is the populations of different species living together in a habitat. Feeding relationships show which organism eats which, and a food chain is a simple diagram that traces a single pathway of energy transfer. An arrow means 'is eaten by' or shows the direction in which energy passes, so it points from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it. A food chain normally begins with a producer and ends with a top predator. Each stage is called a trophic level. Food chains are useful because they summarise complex feeding relationships, but a single chain is only part of the picture; many organisms eat more than one type of food, so interconnected chains form a food web.
What earns the marks
- A community is the populations of different species living together in a habitat.
- A food chain shows a feeding relationship and the direction of energy transfer between organisms.
- Arrows in a food chain point from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it.
- Each step in a food chain is a trophic level, beginning with a producer.
- Food chains can be combined into a food web because organisms often have more than one food source.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Drawing arrows in the wrong direction.
Put it right: The arrow points from the eaten organism to the eater, showing the direction of energy transfer.
Treating a food chain as a complete description of all feeding relationships.
Put it right: A food chain is one pathway, and a food web shows the interconnected chains in a community.
Placing a decomposer at the end of a food chain.
Put it right: Decomposers break down dead material and are usually shown separately from the grazing food chain.
Exam tips
- Always draw arrows from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it.
- Label the producer and the consumers if the question asks for trophic levels.
- Use the term 'community' correctly when describing the organisms in a habitat.
Try the lesson
The start of the Levels of organisation: Feeding relationships within a community can be represented by food chains. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In a food chain, what does the arrow pointing from one organism to the next represent?
Listen
A community is the populations of different species living together in a habitat. Feeding relationships show which organism eats which, and a food chain is a simple diagram that traces a single pathway of energy transfer. An arrow means 'is eaten by' or shows the direction in which energy passes, so it points from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it. A food chain normally begins with a producer and ends with a top predator. Each stage is called a trophic level. Food chains are useful because they summarise complex feeding relationships, but a single chain is only part of the picture; many organisms eat more than one type of food, so interconnected chains form a food web. A strong answer earns marks for these points. A community is the populations of different species living together in a habitat. A food chain shows a feeding relationship and the direction of energy transfer between organisms. Arrows in a food chain point from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it. Each step in a food chain is a trophic level, beginning with a producer. A common slip: Drawing arrows in the wrong direction. Instead, the arrow points from the eaten organism to the eater, showing the direction of energy transfer. Exam tip: Always draw arrows from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Community
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Food chain
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Trophic level
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Food web
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See every definition
- Community
- The populations of different species living together in a habitat.
- Food chain
- A simple diagram that traces a single pathway of energy transfer and shows a feeding relationship.
- Trophic level
- Each stage in a food chain, beginning with a producer.
- Food web
- Interconnected chains formed because many organisms eat more than one type of food.
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