Energy in Coastal Food Webs
Learning Objective
I can describe the flow of energy in a coastal food web.
Key Concepts
In a coastal food web, sea otters are considered a keystone species because they control the population of sea urchins, which eat kelp.
A food web represents the transfer of energy between species through trophic interactions, such as predator-prey relationships.
Removing a keystone species like the sea otter can cause cascading effects, leading to urchin blooms and reduced kelp beds, thus disrupting the flow of energy.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 10 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. What is a food web?
2. In the coastal food web described in the video, what is the primary source of energy?
3. What role do kelp forests play in the coastal food web?
...and 7 more questions
Educational Video
Exploring Ecosystems: Coastal Food Webs | California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences