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WorksheetYear 8Level 2 · Standard

Free Year 8 Food Webs and Human Impact on Ecosystems Worksheet

Students read a grassland food web to identify producers, consumers and trophic levels, trace food chains and predict what happens when one population changes. They calculate how energy is passed along a food chain, explain the role of decomposers and analyse how human activities such as habitat clearing, pollution, invasive species and overharvesting affect ecosystems, and how people can reduce that harm.

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Year
Year 8
Subject
Science
Topic
Ecosystems & Food Chains
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
40 minutes
Curriculum
New Zealand Curriculum
Questions
21
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practise

  • identifying producers, consumers and decomposers in a food web
  • tracing food chains and naming trophic levels
  • predicting the effect of a population change on a food web
  • calculating energy transfer between trophic levels
  • explaining how human activities affect ecosystems
  • suggesting ways to reduce human impact

Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Food Webs and Human Impact on Ecosystems

  1. 1Biotic and Abiotic Factors in Ecosystems
  2. 2Relationships in Ecosystems: Competition, Predation and Symbiosis
  3. 3Classification and Dichotomous Keys
  4. 4Using a Microscope: Parts, Magnification and Slide Preparation

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

Year 8 students (typically ages 12–13) working on ecosystems & food chains. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 40 minutes for 21 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Biotic and Abiotic Factors in Ecosystems.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 8 · Science · Ecosystems & Food Chains

Food Webs and Human Impact on Ecosystems

Name

Date

Score /

Remember: arrows in a food chain point in the direction energy flows, from the food to the feeder.

Part A: Reading a food web

Use this grassland food web. Each arrow means is eaten by.

Grass → grasshopper · Grass → rabbit · Grass → mouse

Grasshopper → spider · Grasshopper → frog · Spider → frog

Mouse → snake · Mouse → hawk · Frog → snake · Snake → hawk

Rabbit → fox

A food chain shows one path of energy from a producer to a top consumer. A food web shows all the linked food chains in an ecosystem. Bacteria and fungi act as decomposers for every organism in the web.

1.Match each term to its meaning.
  • Producer
  • Consumer
  • Herbivore
  • Carnivore
  • Decomposer
  • Trophic level
  • Makes its own food by photosynthesis, using energy from sunlight
  • Gets its energy by eating other organisms
  • A consumer that eats only animals
  • The feeding position of an organism in a food chain
  • Breaks down dead organisms and wastes, returning nutrients to the soil
  • A consumer that eats only plants
2.Name the producer in the food web. (answer space)
3.Name the three herbivores (primary consumers) in the food web. (answer space)
4.Which organism is a secondary consumer in one food chain but a tertiary consumer in another? Give both food chains. (answer space)
5.Write out the longest food chain in the web. (answer space)
6.How many different food chains in the web end with the hawk? List them. (answer space)
7.In a food chain, what do the arrows show?
  1. AThe direction that energy (food) flows
  2. BWhich animal is bigger
  3. CWhich animal hunts at night
  4. DThe direction the animals move

Part B: What if a population changes?

Use the food web in Part A. Explain each answer using the feeding links.

8.A disease kills most of the snakes. What is most likely to happen to the number of frogs at first? Explain. (answer space)
9.A pesticide kills most of the grasshoppers. What is most likely to happen to the number of spiders? Explain. (answer space)
10.If the grasshoppers are reduced, the frogs lose two food sources. Name them. (answer space)
11.Foxes are removed from the area. Which population would most likely increase first, and how might this then affect the grass? (answer space)
12.A food web is more stable than a single food chain because many consumers have more than one food source. ☐ True   ☐ False
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Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring Science Team
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.