Question

yellowstone national park food web
food webs show how energy is transferred between organisms in an ecosystem. using the facts above, create
a food web for yellowstone national park. remember, the arrows follow the flow of energy.

Explanation:

First, identify producers (plants that make their own energy) from the images: grass, willow, aquatic plants, sedges, and other vegetation. These form the base of the food web. Next, identify primary consumers (herbivores that eat producers): bison, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, beaver, and rabbit. Then identify secondary/tertiary consumers (carnivores/omnivores that eat other animals): wolf, grizzly bear, coyote. Arrows point from the organism being eaten to the organism eating it, following energy flow.

Answer:

1. Producers → Primary Consumers:

• Grass → Bison, Elk, Deer, Rabbit, Coyote (omnivore)
• Willow → Elk, Beaver
• Aquatic Plants → Beaver
• Sedges → Elk, Deer

1. Primary Consumers → Secondary/Tertiary Consumers:

• Bison → Wolf, Grizzly Bear
• Elk → Wolf, Grizzly Bear
• Deer → Wolf, Grizzly Bear
• Rabbit → Coyote, Wolf
• Beaver → Grizzly Bear

1. Omnivore connection:

• Grizzly Bear also feeds on plant matter (e.g., berries/vegetation from producers)

Visual structure summary (energy flow direction):

$$\text{Grass/Willow/Aquatic Plants/Sedges} ightarrow \text{Bison/Elk/Deer/Beaver/Rabbit} ightarrow \text{Wolf/Grizzly Bear/Coyote}$$

$$\text{Producers} ightarrow \text{Grizzly Bear (omnivorous)}$$