Food Chain

   

“The transfer of food energy from the producers, through a series of organisms (herbivores to carnivores to decomposers) with repeated eating & being eaten, is known as Food Chain.” It includes:-

1) Primary Consumers or Herbivores:  They are animals which feed on plants or plant products.

Eg. grasshoppers and several other insects, rabbit. Hare, deer, antelope, elephant, zooplankton etc.

Herbivores are also called key industry animals because they convert plant matter in to animal matter.

2) Secondary Consumers or primary Carnivores: They ingest or prey upon herbivores animals.

Eg. Frog, predator, Insects, several Birds, Fishes, Wild Cat, Fox, Jackal (also Scavenger) etc.

3) Tertiary Consumers or Secondary Carnivores: They are larger carnivores which prey upon primary carnivores.

Eg. Wolf (feeds on fox), Snake (Prey upon frog).

4) Top Carnivores: They are the last order consumers or carnivores which are not preyed upon by other animals because of their size, agility & ferociousness,

Eg. Shark, Crocodile, Eagle, Peacock, Tiger, Lion.

Some common food chains are:-

**Land:

a) Grass-->Grass Hoppers-->Frog-Snakes-->Peacock/Falcon

b) Vegetation-->Rabbit-->Fox-->Wolf-->Tiger

**Aquatic:

a) Phytoplankton-->Zooplankton-->Small Crustaceans-->Predator Insects-->         Small Fish-->Larger Fish-->Crocodile

In Nature we distinguish two general types of Food Chains:

1) Grazing Food Chain: - This type of food chain starts from the living green plants goes to grazing herbivores & on to carnivores. It is directly dependent on influx of solar radiation.

2) Detritus Food Chain: - This type of food chain goes from dead organic matter to microorganisms & then to organisms feeding on detritus & their predators. Such ecosystems are less dependent on direct solar energy.