Energy moves upward

1. 

   King · Polar bear

   The apex predator of this Arctic food web. It sits at the top, but it depends on everything below it. If the lower levels of the ecosystem collapse, the polar bear is affected too.

2. 

   Queen · Ringed seal

   The key prey species for polar bears. Ringed seals are one of the most important sources of fat and energy for polar bears, so they are extremely important to the whole system represented on the board.

3. 

   Rook · Bearded seal

   A large marine prey animal. Bearded seals are another substantial food source for polar bears and represent the bigger, energy-rich animals in the marine food web.

4. 

   Knight · Arctic tern

   A mobile mid-level consumer. Seabirds feed on fish and small marine animals, linking different parts of the Arctic ecosystem and showing that the food web is not only about bears and seals.

5. 

   Bishop · Arctic cod

   The connector of the food web. Arctic cod feed on smaller marine organisms and are eaten by seals, seabirds and other predators. They move energy from the lower levels of the ocean upward.

6. 

   Pawn · Arctic krill

   The small prey foundation. Krill are tiny, but they occur in huge numbers and help support fish, seabirds and marine mammals. They show that the smallest creatures can be essential to the survival of the largest predators.

Energy moves upward

1. 

   King · Barn owl

   The apex night hunter and the heart of this ecology. The king is the barn owl because the whole set revolves around its survival, hunting, and nesting life.

2. 

   Queen · Red fox

   A powerful, adaptable predator of the same farmland world. The fox ranges widely across fields and hedgerows, so it becomes the most mobile supporting power in the set.

3. 

   Rook · Barn and nest site

   The stronghold of the ecosystem. Barns, lofts, and nest spaces give barn owls shelter, nesting places, and a base from which to hunt.

4. 

   Bishop · Snake

   A grassland hunter moving quietly through field margins. The snake connects the lower prey layer to the wider food web and brings a sleek diagonal energy to the set.

5. 

   Knight · Bat

   An agile night flyer sharing the dusk sky. The bat fits the knight because of its quick, unpredictable movement and its close link to the same nocturnal habitat.

6. 

   Pawn · Vole

   The small, abundant prey base that helps sustain the whole system. Voles are the essential everyday food source beneath the larger drama of the ecology.

Energy moves upward

1. 

   King · Gray wolf

   The apex predator. Wolves sit near the top of the food web and strongly influence prey populations and scavenger access to carcasses.

2. 

   Queen · Elk

   The primary large prey. In places like Yellowstone, elk make up a major part of the wolf diet, so they are the most important prey species in this set.

3. 

   Rook · Beaver

   A smaller but important prey species. Wolves commonly take beavers where they are available, especially as a supplemental food source.

4. 

   Bishop · Raven

   The scavenger connection. Ravens benefit directly from wolf kills and often arrive very quickly to feed on carcasses, so they show how a predator can support other species.

5. 

   Knight · Coyote

   A competitor and scavenger. Coyotes overlap with wolves, sometimes feed at wolf kills, and can also compete with them in the same ecosystem.

6. 

   Pawn · Snowshoe hare

   The small-prey layer. Hares are not the wolf's main food, but wolves do take them, and they represent the smaller prey base beneath the large ungulates.

Energy moves upward

1. 

   King · Great white shark

   The apex predator. The great white sits at the top of this coastal marine food web and helps regulate large prey populations.

2. 

   Queen · Sea lion

   A major prey species and a powerful marine mammal in its own right. Sea lions are fast, mobile, and an important energy source for large sharks.

3. 

   Rook · Tuna

   Represents the strong, mobile fish layer of the ecosystem. Large fish move energy through open water and connect smaller prey to top predators.

4. 

   Bishop · Stingray

   A lower-level predator that feeds on fish, crustaceans, and other benthic animals. Stingrays help connect the seafloor food web to larger predators.

5. 

   Knight · Dolphin

   A highly mobile marine predator. Dolphins represent speed, intelligence, and movement across the ecosystem, feeding on fish and competing within the same food web.

6. 

   Pawn · Mackerel

   The abundant small-prey layer. Mackerel and other schooling fish transfer energy from plankton and smaller organisms upward to larger fish, marine mammals, and sharks.