MediumBiologyHigh School (9–10)GeneralEcology and Environment › Ecosystems and Food ChainsConceptual
In a paddy field, frogs eat insects that feed on rice, and snakes eat the frogs…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
In a paddy field, frogs eat insects that feed on rice, and snakes eat the frogs. People catch almost all the frogs to sell. Predict what happens to the insects, the rice and the snakes.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A food chain shows who eats whom, starting with a producer. Each step is a trophic level: producers, herbivores, carnivores. Chains link into a food web. Each animal needs many from the level below, so the numbers usually fall at each higher level.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The insects. Few frogs are left to eat them, so the insects multiply.
Step 2. The rice. More insects eat more rice, so the crop suffers.
Step 3. The snakes. They lose their food. They fall in number, or turn to other food such as rats.
Answer: insects increase, the rice crop is damaged, and the snakes go short of food.
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