What do Tadpoles Eat?

Deep in the forest, there was a quiet pond. But if you looked closely, it was not quiet at all! It was bursting with life, and every living thing there was connected.

In the water, tiny green algae floated. Algae are like tiny plants, and just like bigger plants, they need the sunlight that shines down on the pond's surface to make their food. They also need the water of the pond to live.

Little tadpoles (baby frogs!) swam through the water. What did they eat? The tiny green algae! The tadpoles depended on the algae for their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Without the algae, the tadpoles would have no food.

When the tadpoles grew into frogs, they no longer ate algae. Now, they waited patiently on lily pads for flies and other insects to buzz by. The frogs depended on these insects for their food.

And where did the flies get their food? Many flies eat small bits of decaying plants or animals that fall into the water or are found near the pond.

This is a perfect example of an ecosystem and its interdependent relationships. The algae depend on sunlight and water. The tadpoles depend on the algae. The frogs depend on the flies. And the flies depend on other parts of the pond environment. Everything is linked, and if one part of this pond community disappeared, it would affect many other living things!