Question
Question: Write the names of aquatic organisms in order to form a food chain of at least three steps....
Write the names of aquatic organisms in order to form a food chain of at least three steps.
Solution
A food chain is a linear chain which shows how the organisms are related to one another in terms of food. In a food chain the transfer of matter as well as energy takes place. The food chain starts with producers which are autotrophs and end with decomposers.
Complete answer:
Aquatic animals are animals which live in water. A food chain starts with a producer which are generally plants which can prepare their own food. The components of food chain in an aquatic habitat are:
i) Producers- The phytoplanktons are the small plants present in the water which can prepare their own food.
ii) Primary Consumers: These are the heterotrophs which feed on the producers. These organisms are herbivorous in nature and feed on phytoplanktons. These organisms are known as zooplanktons.
iii) Secondary consumers- These organisms are carnivorous in nature. They feed on the primary consumers and obtain its energy from them. Small fishes are considered as
iv) Tertiary consumers- These organisms are omnivores which feed on the small fishes. The example of tertiary consumers are big fishes.
v) Decomposers- This group comprises microorganisms which feed on dead plants and animals.
The aquatic food chain can be represented as:
Note: The aquatic food chain occurs in water. Each level of a food chain is known as trophic level. Each organism occupies a specific trophic level. The energy decreases as we go from one trophic level to another.