NAME: INSHRAH AZIZ
SEAT NO. : B23120006026
BS MATHEMATICS 2ND YEAR
“Food
Chain"
Roles in a Food Chain
Within an ecosystem, every organism has a role. These roles are divided into three groups:
1. Producers
2. Consumers 3. Decomposers Producers :
Living things that make their own food from non-living things like sunlight, water, and carbon
dioxide.
They are also called autotrophs and are the source of all chemical energy in an ecosystem.
Photosynthesis: Plants use sunlight + water + carbon dioxide → glucose (sugar) + oxygen.
Examples: Plants, algae.
Consumers :
Consumers eat plants or other animals to gain energy. They are called
heterotrophs.
Types of Consumers:
- Herbivores: eat plants (cow, rabbit)
- Carnivores: eat animals (lion, eagle)
- Omnivores: eat both (human, bear)
Aquatic Food chain:
🌊 Marine (Saltwater) Food Chain
1. Phytoplankton → Tiny plants in ocean (base
2. Zooplankton → Tiny animals eat phytoplankton.
3. Small fish → Eat zooplankton.
4. Large fish → Eat small fish.
5. Seal → Eats large fish.
6. Shark → Top predator (eats seal).
🏞 Pond (Freshwater) Food Chain
1. Algae → Small green plants in pond.
2. Mosquito larvae → Eat algae.
3. Dragonfly larvae → Eat mosquito larvae.
4. Fish → Eat dragonfly larvae.
5. Duck → Eats fish.
Decomposers :
Break down dead plants, animals, and waste into nutrients and recycle them back
to the environment.
Examples: Bacteria, fungi, earthworms.
Complete Food Chain:
1. Grass (Producer): Makes food by photosynthesis.
2. Grasshopper (Primary Consumer): Herbivore, eats
grass.
3. Bird (Secondary Consumer): Feeds on grasshopper.
4. Snake (Tertiary Consumer): Carnivore, eats bird.
5. Owl (Apex Predator): Top of the food chain, eats
snake.6. Mushroom (Decomposer): Breaks down dead
matter, returns nutrients to soil ( helps grass grow again).
Energy flows in one direction (sun → producer → consumers → decomposers).
Nutrients are recycled back by decomposers.
Shows interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem.
Predator & Prey :
Predator: An animal that hunts and eats others (Lion
eats Zebra).
Prey: An animal that is hunted for food (Zebra is prey).
Importance of Food Chains :
- Show how energy flows in nature.
- Keep balance in the ecosystem.
- Producers, consumers, and decomposers are all
necessary for life.
Types of food Chain
1. Grazing Food Chain (Starts from green plants)
This is the most common type of food chain.
It begins with producers (plants) that make food through photosynthesis, then passes to
herbivores (plant-eaters), and then to carnivores (meat-eaters).
Example:
🌱 Grass → 🐇 Rabbit → 🦊 Fox → 🦅 Eagle
2. Detritus Food Chain (Starts from
dead matter)
This chain begins with dead organic
matter (detritus).
Then decomposers (fungi, bacteria) and detritivores (earthworms, crabs, etc.) feed
on it, passing energy to higher-level consumers.
Example:
3. Parasitic Food Chain (Based on parasites)
In this type, energy flows from larger organisms to smaller parasites.
🍂 Dead leaves → 🐛 Earthworm → 🐓 Hen → 👨 Human
Parasites directly depend on living organisms for food, and sometimes even
hyperparasites (parasites on parasites) are present.
Example:
🌲 Tree → 🐦 Bird → 🐜 Lice → 🦠 Bacteria