Types of food chain

Learning Objectives • Distinguish between food chains and food webs as models of energy flow in ecosystems In ecology, a food web describes the feeding connections between organisms in a biotic community. Both energy and nutrients flow through a food web, moving through organisms as they are consumed by an organism above them in the food web. A single path of energy through a food web is called a food chain. Trophic Levels Each organism within a food web can be classified by trophic level according to their position within the web. Depending on an organism’s location in a food web, it may be grouped into more than one of these categories. Energy and nutrients move up trophic levels in the following order: • Primary producers • Primary consumers • Secondary consumers • Tertiary and other high-level consumers In both food webs and food chains, arrows point from an organism that is consumed to the organism that consumes it. In many ecosystems, the bottom of the food chain consists of photosynthetic organisms, such as plants or phytoplankton, known as primary producers. The organisms that consume the primary producers are herbivores: the primary consumers. Secondary consumers are usually carnivores that eat the primary consumers, while tertiary consumers are carnivores that eat other carnivores. Higher-level consumers feed on the next lower trophic levels, and so on, up to the organisms at the top of the food chain, which are called the apex consumers. Some lines within a food...

The food chain begins at the bottom with producer organisms and progresses in a single direction up the series. Trophic levels of the food chain are nothing but the consecutive levels of a food chain. The position of any living organism within a food chain determines its trophic level. A food chain has several trophic levels. Transfer of energy occurs between organisms via the food chain. Producers are the first link in the food chain. They are consumed by primary consumers, who are then consumed by secondary consumers. They are then consumed by tertiary consumers, and in the case of a long food day, they can be consumed by quaternary consumers. A trophic level of the food chain is a name given to each stage. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants obtain energy from the sun. This energy can then be passed down the food chain from one organism to the next. The producer is the organism that obtains energy from sunlight. Plants are frequently involved, but bacteria can also play a role in some cases. There are times when plants must be destroyed. Plants will be killed by pesticides. They must, however, be used with caution because they can harm plants that you do not want to kill. Pesticides or biological controls are used to eliminate pests. Pesticides are poisonous chemicals that are applied to pests. To get rid of pests, you can also use biological controls (other organisms). However, biological controls are often slower to act than pesticides. They can also be harm...

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An Overview of Food Chain Table of Contents • • • • • Food Chain: Introduction A food chain explains which organism eats another organism in the environment. The food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where nutrients and energy is transferred from one organism to the other. This occurs when one organism consumes another organism. It begins with the producer organism, follows the chain and ends with the decomposer organism. After understanding the food chain, we realise how one organism is dependent upon another organism for survival. Now, let’s look at the other aspects of a food chain, to get a better understanding. What is a Food Chain? A food chain refers to the order of events in an ecosystem, where one living organism eats another organism, and later that organism is consumed by another larger organism. The flow of nutrients and energy from one organism to another at different trophic levels forms a food chain. The food chain also explains the feeding pattern or relationship between living organisms. Trophic level refers to the sequential stages in a food chain, starting with producers at the bottom, followed by primary, secondary and tertiary consumers. Every level in a food chain is known as a trophic level. The food chain consists of four major parts, namely: • The Sun: The sun is the initial source of energy, which provides energy for everything on the planet. • Producers: The producers in a food chain include all autotrophs such as phytoplankton, cyanobac...

It is important to note that 90 percent of the energy is lost between each trophic level, so only 10 percent of the energy from one step is transferred to the next one. Since the energy transfer is not efficient, the size of the food chain has a limit on it. At each level, a large amount of energy is lost to heat. General Food Chain Types Most food chains consist of at least producers and primary consumers. Some chains are more complex and have secondary consumers and tertiary consumers. The first trophic level or first organism in a food chain usually consists of autotrophs. These organisms make their own food by using light energy and turning it into chemical energy. Decomposers have their own separate trophic level and are in a different part of the food chain. They are sometimes called the last trophic level because they recycle the matter back into the soil or atmosphere. Decomposers allow producers to begin the chain again by moving nutrients and energy through an ecosystem. Importance of Food Chains Food chains are important because they show the intricate relationships in ecosystems. They can reveal how each organism depends on someone else for survival. Food chains also display what happens when a problem occurs and a producer or consumer is lost. Entire communities can collapse. Food chains can help scientists learn more about ecosystems and how to help them stay balanced. For instance, as its name implies, the Colorado potato beetle eats potatoes. They can compl...