Forest Food Pyramid Project
In this activity, you’ll create a food pyramid that shows what eats what in the forest.
First, you’ll do some research on the plants and animals that live in your area to
discover what food pyramids are out there in your local forests. From tiny plants to
giant hunters, create a forest food web and discover what’s on the menu in the
forest.
Producers
At the bottom of the food pyramid, you have the producers. Plants are producers.
This means that they make their own food through photosynthesis. Their leaves turn
light, air, and water into food through a process called photosynthesis.
What plants do the animals in your area like to eat? Think about the plants that live in
the wild areas around your home. If you live in a coniferous forest, you’ll find the
seeds and needles of coniferous trees and berries from bushes. In a deciduous forest, you’ll find broad-leafed
trees and shrubs. Take a walk in a local state park and bring a plant identification book along. Can you identify
some of the plants that you see?
Primary Consumer
A consumer is an animal that eats other living things in the forest. For instance, a squirrel might munch on some
nuts, seeds, or plants. It’s called a consumer, and since it eats plants, it’s called the primary consumer. Animals
that only eat plants are called herbivores. There are many herbivores, both large and small. Caterpillars eat
leaves, and so do deer!
As you walk through the forest around your home, can you see any clues that tell you what animals like to eat the
plants that you found?
Secondary Consumer
Now we come to the meat-eaters, or carnivores. These animals eat other animals. Animals that eat both plants
and animals are called omnivores. “Omni” means “all” or “everything.”
What animals like to eat squirrels? Foxes, hawks, and raccoons are some examples. These animals are called
secondary consumers. There are many animals that hunt other animals for food. Animals that hunt are often
secretive, so you might not see these animals as often as you see primary consumers. Use your animal book
and do some research. What kinds of secondary consumers live in the places around your home?
Ult imat e Consumer
Eventually, the food pyramid reaches the top. There’s an animal there that doesn’t get hunted by many other
animals. That animal is the ultimate consumer, or the top predator. There are not very many of these animals.
A predator is an animal that hunts for other animals. In some food chains, this large predator might be a wolf or a
cougar. In a bird food chain, it could be an animal such as an eagle.
What are the top predators in your area? What do they eat? Can you think of anything that would eat them or hunt
them?
Food Webs and Food Chains
In real life, there are a lot of food chains. A food chain is a line-up of plants and animals that shows you who eats
what. All of these food chains weave together like a web. This is called the food web.
If you’re a prey animal, many animals hunt for you. If you’re a predator, you might hunt for many animals. If you’re
an herbivore, you likely eat more than one type of plant. Even plants are part of the food web, because they eat
the nutrients from dead plants and animals. Some animals help plants access these nutrients. They’re called the
decomposers, and their job is to break things down. Worms are a good example of a decomposer.
Sometimes you might also hear the term “food pyramid.” For example, a big bird needs to eat many rodents to
survive, and the rodents need to eat many insects. The inscects need to eat a lot of grass. As you go down each
level of the food chain – or each t rophic level – you’ll find that it takes more and more of each type of animal or
plant to feed the next level up. It takes a lot of grass to feed the insects that feed the rodents that feed the hawks
(the ultimate consumer).
Problem:
Create a forest food web and discover the connections between animals that live in your area as well.
Mat erials
8-inch square piece of white cardstock paper
Colored pencils
Ruler
Scissors
Transparent tape
Plant book for your area
Animal book for your area
Wild place to do research
Procedure
1. Now that you’ve explored the plants and animals near your home, let’s build a forest food pyramid! You can
print out the template here and get started.
2. From bottom to top, label the four parts of one triangle with the following names: producer, primary
consumer, secondary consumer, ultimate consumer.
5. Now it’s time to choose your characters. When you walked in the forest, what food chains did you see?
Write a list of the animals and plants that you saw, and see if any of them fit together into a food chain. Sort
them into producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and ultimate consumers.
For example: In a forest, one food chain might be a bird food chain: a plant makes leaves, a caterpillar
eats the leaves, a small bird eats the caterpillar, and a hawk eats the small bird. Another food chain
could involve mammals and reptiles. A plant makes seeds, a mouse eats the seeds, a snake eats the
mouse, and a coyote eats the snake.
6. From bottom to top, label the four parts of the second triangle with the names of the plants and animals on
your food chain. You’ll begin with the plants at the bottom and put the name of the top predator at the top.
7. On a third triangle, draw a picture of each plant or animal.
8. To make your forest food web, cut along the fold line between the third triangle and the fourth triangle. The
fourth doesn’t have any markings on it yet. Overlap the unmarked triangle and the third triangle and place
tape on it where it overlaps. You’ve made a food pyramid!
It’s amaz ing how many connections there are between different plants and animals in the forest. How many food
pyramids can you create for your area?