Reconstructing the Owl’s Food Web and Energy Pyramid

Part of the "Energy Flow in the Garden System" Collection

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Goal

Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

Estimated Time

45 Minutes

Setting Required

Inside

Standards

S4L1. Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
- a. Identify the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community.
- b. Demonstrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Materials

Owl Pellet Bone Chart
Food Pyramids of Numbers and Biomass
Journals or 8.5×11 copy paper (1 per student)
Coloring supplies (enough for each student)

Procedures

Given a list of findings from owl pellets, students can research the prey animals found in the owl pellet and determine the diet of that prey from a field guide.
From there, students can reconstruct the owl’s food chain or web to the garden (producer) level with the sun as the energy source.