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Kōrero: Life in fresh water

Freshwater food web

Freshwater food web

This food web shows the role played by invertebrates (animals without backbones), such as mayflies and stoneflies, in freshwater ecosystems. The arrows indicate what eats what. Invertebrates feed on living and dead plant matter, and on each other. Invertebrates are an important link in the food web as they convert the energy in plant and other organic matter into protein (their own bodies). This allows larger predators such as fish to live in fresh water as they feed on the invertebrates.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Bruce Mahalski

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Roger Young, Life in fresh water – Plants and recyclers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/diagram/11628/freshwater-food-web (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Roger Young, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.

Comments

Sarah
12 May 2024
This poster would be so much better if the arrows followed the conventions for this type of infographic. Most food webs draw the flow of energy from primary consumers into the higher trophic levels. This is a great poster that I am unable to use with my class because the arrows are drawn with energy flowing in the wrong direction.
KSime
21 February 2023
The arrows are facing the wrong way. They need to go from what is being eaten to the organism doing the eating. ie arrowhead points to the consumer of the organism being consumed.
Gabe Obama
11 March 2014
Thank you i won't get detention now thanks :)
Ezekiel
19 April 2012
Helpful for a science poster on animal food web. Thanks