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How to Make a Food Web Diagram

Food web diagrams, which show what predator eats what food source within a particular environment, are an interesting way to see the flow of energy within an ecosystem. These illustrations are also a common assignment in elementary and middle school science classes. Fortunately, it's easy to complete food web diagrams for many different ecosystems once you understand the basics.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Grass is a primary producer in the savannah.
  
  Using your food chain research, draw small pictures of the primary producers in an ecosystem (such as grass, plants or algae) on the bottom of your paper.
- 2
  
  As herbivores, gazelles are a primary consumer in the savannah.
  
  Just above these primary producers, draw small pictures of the herbivores (plant-eaters) or other primary consumers that eat the primary producers.
- 3
  
  As omnivores, warthogs are secondary consumers in the savannah.
  
  In the upper middle of the page, draw small pictures of the omnivores (plant- and meat-eaters) and small carnivores (meat eaters) in the ecosystem.
- 4
  
  Lions are tertiary consumers, feeding on primary and secondary consumers.
  
  At the top of the paper, draw pictures of the ecosystem's large, predator carnivores that eat those organisms drawn in the middle of the page.
- 5
  Draw arrows showing which organisms provide food for the other organisms in the ecosystem. This shows the flow of energy in the ecosystem. In most ecosystems, the arrows will point from primary producers (the bottom of the page) to primary consumers (the second level) to secondary consumers (third level) to tertiary consumers (top of the page). There may also be lines to other organisms between levels, such as in the case of a secondary consumer who eats both small animals (often primary consumers) and plants (primary producers).

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