Ocean Ecosystems
What is a healthy ecosystem?
Goal:
Goal:
All over the ocean, many plants and animals live together. These places are called ecosystems. Ecosystems have living things, like plants and animals, and nonliving things, like water and rocks.
The Sun is very important for all living things. Plants use the sun’s energy to grow. Animals get energy when they eat plants or other animals. This is called a food chain. For an ecosystem to be healthy, all its parts must work together. Plants and animals need clean water, air, and space to live.
This picture is just one example of a food chain. We will start at the bottom and work our way up the food chain. Click on each row to learn more.
Food chains begin at the bottom with plants. Plants get their energy from the sun. They use that energy to make their own food. Seaweed is an ocean plant that does this. Look at the different types and colors of seaweed.
Parrot fish eat seaweed. The energy the seaweed got from the sun moves to the parrot fish when the fish have a seaweed snack.
Here comes a shark ready for a snack of its own--a parrot fish. The energy the parrot fish got from the seaweed moves to the shark.
It is not over yet. The sun’s energy still has another place to go. An orca, or killer whale, swims by and eats the shark. The energy that the shark got from the parrot fish moves to the orca. The orca is at the top of the food chain.
For food chains to stay balanced and healthy, the environment needs to be clean. Nonliving things, like the water, sand, and rocks, should not have garbage or oil. When the ocean is clean, plants and animals can grow and stay strong.
Question
Where does the energy of an ecosystem come from?
The energy of an ecosystem comes from the sun and passes from plants to animals.