![]() Image Credits: “Humpback Whale” by rjshade is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Let us together look at some of the most commonly asked questions. There are a lot of questions asked about humpback whales and blue whales. On the other hand, blue whales have a mottled body, are bigger, and live longer. Humpbacks also weigh much less and carry a hump on their backs which makes them stand out. ![]() Humpback whales are smaller than blue whales and are of a deeper blue color. The dragonfly larva becomes food for a fish, which provides a tasty meal for a raccoon.Humpback whales and blue whales are two of the largest whale species. A mosquito larva eats the algae, and then perhaps a dragonfly larva eats the young mosquito. Finally, a hawk-an apex predator-swoops down and snatches up the snake. The grasshopper might get eaten by a rat, which in turn is consumed by a snake. In a grassland ecosystem, a grasshopper might eat grass, a producer. ![]() Krill provide the main food source for the blue whale, an animal on the third trophic level. In one marine food chain, single-celled organisms called phytoplankton provide food for tiny shrimp called krill. This starts a whole new food chain.įood Chains Different habitats and ecosystems provide many possible food chains that make up a food web. Decomposers complete the cycle of life, returning nutrients to the soil or oceans for use by autotrophs. They turn organic wastes, such as decaying plants, into inorganic materials, such as nutrient-rich soil. Decomposers like fungi and bacteria complete the food chain. For example, scavengers such as vultures eat dead animals. Detritivores are organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains. Detritivores and decomposers are the final part of food chains. We also eat algae, in edible seaweeds like nori (used to wrap sushi rolls) and sea lettuce (used in salads). We also eat animals and animal products, such as meat, milk, and eggs. People eat plants, such as vegetables and fruits. Omnivores, like people, consume many types of foods. Higher-level consumers (i.e., secondary, tertiary, and above) can be carnivores (animals that eat other animals) or omnivores (animals that eat both plants and animals). Top predators, also called apex predators, eat other consumers. There may be more levels of consumers before a chain finally reaches its top predator. Tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumers. Deer, turtles, and many types of birds are herbivores. These are called primary consumers, or herbivores. The second trophic level consists of organisms that eat the producers. For example, bacteria living in active volcanoes use sulfur compounds to produce their own food. Phytoplankton, tiny organisms that live in the ocean, are also autotrophs. Algae, whose larger forms are known as seaweed, are autotrophic. Plants are the most familiar type of autotroph, but there are many other kinds. Nearly all autotrophs use a process called photosynthesis to create “food” (a nutrient called glucose) from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Autotrophs are usually plants or one-celled organisms. They make up the first level of every food chain. Producers, also known as autotrophs, make their own food. Roughly speaking, these levels are divided into producers (first trophic level), consumers (second, third, and fourth trophic levels), and decomposers. Trophic Levels Organisms in food chains are grouped into categories called trophic levels. All of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web. Each of these living things can be a part of multiple food chains. Foxes, in turn, can eat many types of animals and plants. Of course, many different animals eat grass, and rabbits can eat other plants besides grass. When the fox dies, bacteria break down its body, returning it to the soil where it provides nutrients for plants like grass. For example, grass produces its own food from sunlight. Each food chain is a possible pathway that energy and nutrients can follow through the ecosystem. Every living thing-from one-celled algae to giant blue whales-needs food to survive. The food chain describes who eats whom in the wild.
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