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Antarctic food webs
I can describe what food webs are and explain how Antarctic food webs work.
Lesson 8 of 12
New
New
- Year 9
Antarctic food webs
I can describe what food webs are and explain how Antarctic food webs work.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Food webs display the transfers of energy within one location.
- Antarctic food webs contain phytoplankton (producers), krill and squid (consumers) and leopard seals (apex predators).
- Changes to food webs arising from overfishing can affect different species.
- The Ross Sea Marine Park Area has been established to help protect young fish.
Keywords
Producer - an organism that makes its own food using sunlight
Consumer - an organism that eats other organisms for energy
Apex predator - an organism at the top of the food chain, with no natural enemies
Common misconception
A food web is linear.
A food web is not linear, it is complex and interconnected.
Get the students to create their own food webs. Give them all the information and ask them to put them in the correct place as a food web.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What makes Antarctica the coldest place on Earth?
What makes Antarctica the coldest place on Earth?
Its high altitude
Its lack of rain
Q2.How does ice help keep Earth's temperature stable?
How does ice help keep Earth's temperature stable?
It absorbs sunlight and warms Earth
It releases heat into the atmosphere
Q3.What is the difference between snow and ice?
What is the difference between snow and ice?
Snow and ice are the same thing
Ice is liquid water, and snow is solid
Snow is water, and ice is steam
Q4.Which of these is a major threat to cold environments?
Which of these is a major threat to cold environments?
Too many trees growing
Rising sea levels
More animals migrating there
Q5.Where is the largest ice sheet in the world located?
Where is the largest ice sheet in the world located?
Greenland
Siberia
Iceland
Q6.Which of the following animals is found in Antarctica?
Which of the following animals is found in Antarctica?
Lions
Elephants
Kangaroos
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Unlike a food chain, which is linear, a food is complex and interconnected.
Unlike a food chain, which is linear, a food is complex and interconnected.
Q2.What is a producer?
What is a producer?
An animal that hunts other animals
An organism that eats only plants
Q3.What is a consumer in a food web?
What is a consumer in a food web?
An organism that makes its own food
A plant that gets energy from the sun
A decomposer that breaks down dead plants
Q4.Which animal is an apex predator in Antarctica?
Which animal is an apex predator in Antarctica?
Emperor penguin
Antarctic krill
Q5.What is the role of krill in the Antarctic food web?
What is the role of krill in the Antarctic food web?
They are apex predators
They are decomposers
They are producers
