Animals eat the plants for food, spread the seed and fertilize the soil with their droppings. When plants and animals die, they decay with the help of microorganisms and insects and return important nutrients to the soil. New plants benefit from this decay. This food chain represents the flow of energy. Sunlight enters the forest and is used by trees and other plants to grow and produce food.
Animals obtain energy by eating the plants leaves, fruits and bark.
This energy flow is necessary for the existence of all ecosystems. The Web of Life game. Solicit names of living and nonliving components of an urban ecosystem. As each is named, ask a student to print the name in large letters on his card. When all students have a component written on their cards, collect the cards.