Energy in Coastal Food Webs
Grade 8th Grade · Science · 45 min
What's Included
Learning Objective
I can describe the flow of energy in a coastal food web.
Warm-Up Video
California Academy of Sciences · 4:15
Exploring Ecosystems: Coastal Food Webs | California Academy of Sciences
Guided Notes
3 key concepts
- 1
In a coastal food web, sea otters are considered a keystone species because they control the population of sea urchins, which eat kelp.
- 2
A food web represents the transfer of energy between species through trophic interactions, such as predator-prey relationships.
- 3
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
10 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer
Exit Ticket
Quick comprehension check
“Describe how energy flows from kelp to sea otters in the coastal food web. Include sea urchins in your description.”
Complete Lesson Package
Get all 3 ready-to-use resources:
