Types of Food Chain
Food chains are of two types on the basis of the primary energy source: Detritus and Grazing Food chain.
Grazing Food Chain
The primary energy source is the green plants or producers. These plants utilize sunlight and convert it into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Herbivores feed on these plants for energy. The energy then flows through the food chain as carnivores (animals that eat other animals) consume herbivores, and so on. The food chain starts with producers and moves up through various trophic levels.
Sun-> Autotrophs-> Herbivores-> Small Carnivores-> Large Carnivores-> Top Predator
Detritus Food Chain
This food chain starts with dead organic material. The Detritus food chain starts decomposers like bacteria, algae, fungi, etc, which decompose the organic material like the detritus of plant, and dead animals. Decomposers are then consumed by detritivores, which are organisms that feed on decomposed organic matter.
As detritivores are eaten by predators or scavengers, the energy derived from the detritus is transferred through the food chain. Detritus food chains play an important role in recycling nutrients and breaking down organic material.
Food Chains and Food Webs
Food Chain and Food Web both show the direction of the flow of energy and nutrients in the ecosystem. The food chain is a linear representation of organisms along the trophic level, while the food web is multiple interconnected food chains.
The food chain and food web make us understand the interaction among the species and the way they are interdependent. Overall it gives an impression of the workings of the ecosystem and the balance it maintains within. In this article, we will also study the difference between food chain and food web.
Table of Content
- What is a Food Chain?
- Food Chain Diagram
- Types of Food Chain
- Food Web
- Food Web Diagram
- 10 Percent Energy Rule
- Difference between the Food Chain and Food Web
- Why are Humans not Apex Predators?
- Importance of Food Chain and Food Web
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