🌊 Part 1: Marine Food Web Knowledge

1. Circle the correct definition of a food web:

A single chain showing what one animal eats

A complex network showing feeding relationships between many organisms

A list of all animals in the ocean

A diagram showing where animals live

2. Which of these are marine producers? (Check all that apply)

Phytoplankton

Kelp

Snapper

Seaweed

Dolphins

3. Circle the organism that would be at the top of a marine food web:

Zooplankton

Small fish

Orca (killer whale)

Krill

🐟 Part 2: Energy Flow and Relationships

4. Complete this marine food chain by filling in the blanks:

_____________ → Zooplankton → _____________ → Snapper → _____________

Word bank: Phytoplankton, Small fish, Shark

5. Draw arrows on this food web to show the direction of energy flow. Then answer the questions below:

Organisms: Kelp → Sea urchin → Crayfish → Snapper

6. What would happen to the marine food web if all the phytoplankton disappeared? Explain your answer:

🌿 Part 3: Kaitiakitanga and Marine Protection

7. What does kaitiakitanga mean? Circle the best answer:

Fishing for profit

Guardianship and sustainable management of natural resources

Building more boats

Studying marine biology

8. How can people act as kaitiaki to protect marine ecosystems? (Check all that apply)

Following fishing quotas and size limits

Reducing plastic pollution

Supporting marine reserves

Overfishing popular species

Respecting rāhui (temporary bans)

9. Explain in your own words why kaitiakitanga is important for maintaining healthy marine food webs:

🔬 Part 4: Vocabulary and Matching

10. Match each term with its correct definition:

1. Producer

2. Primary consumer

3. Predator

4. Marine ecosystem

5. Biodiversity

A. An animal that hunts other animals

B. A community of organisms in ocean environments

C. An organism that makes its own food

D. The variety of different species in an ecosystem

E. An organism that eats producers

11. Fill in the blanks using the words provided:

Word bank: energy, producers, consumers, decomposers, arrows

In a food web, _____________ flows from _____________ to _____________. We show this flow using _____________ that point from the food source to the organism eating it. _____________ break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the ecosystem.

🎨 Part 5: Create Your Own Marine Food Web

12. Draw and label a marine food web that includes at least 6 organisms from New Zealand waters. Include producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and a top predator. Use arrows to show energy flow:

13. Choose one organism from your food web and explain how kaitiakitanga practices could help protect it:

14. Reflection: How has learning about marine food webs changed your understanding of ocean ecosystems?