The food chain is also called the trophic chain, a term that comes from the Greek "trophos" which means to feed, it is the nutritional process of the existing species in the world, that is, each one feeds on the previous one and that same one is another's food., for example: a grasshopper eats a leaf, that grasshopper ends up being the prey of a mouse, and this in turn, food for a snake that is food for an eagle.
The trophic chain is a current of energy that moves from one organism to another, starting from photosynthesis and then transferred to another, forming part of the nutrition of a living being. This is why the chain starts with plants and vegetables that have the ability to create life from nothing. This is organized by levels, the first level is occupied by primary consumers, who feed on plants. Herbivorous animals are considered part of the primary consumers since their diet is based on plants and vegetables. For example insects.
At the next level are secondary consumers, which are made up of those animals that feed on other animals. In this line are carnivorous animals such as lion, crocodiles, bears, etc.
It is followed by decomposers, it is understood by bacteria and fungi that are responsible for decomposing the wastes of the three previous links. Thanks to this decomposition, elements that are used as food for plants reappear and the same process begins again.
Although there are four of the most relevant, the levels that comprise the food chain can reach seven.
Types of food chains
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The food chain or trophic chain is a representation made in a graphic and simple way of its dependencies, among the variety of species in the ecosystem. In this way the ecosystem is constituted, its diffusion of flow of energy and matter that passes from one species to another.
Within the Food Chain there are two Types that are:
Herbivore chain
the herbivore food chain is made up of producers, bone, cyanobacteria, vegetables and phytoplankton. In addition to these, the primary consumers, which are herbivorous animals and secondary consumers also called carnivores. The food chain of the animals that make up this group are:
- Herbivorous animals such as monkeys, elephants, squirrels, cows, etc.
- Insects such as flies, bees, grasshoppers, beetles, larvae, etc.
- Carnivorous scavengers, such as raccoons, vultures, rats, badgers, crabs, zamuros, seagulls, etc.
- Predatory carnivorous animals, such as coyotes, lions, wolves, crocodiles, bears, sharks, snakes, hyenas, etc.
- Vegetables such as vegetables, greens, cereals and fruits.
- Bacteria that use photosynthesis, in this case blue algae.
Saprophytic or detritus chain
This chain is made up of decomposers, they feed on organic matter found in dead bodies and excrement. An example of this are bacteria found in the air and soil, in addition to those found in living things. There are also decomposing fungi, which are responsible for absorbing animal and plant waste.
Terrestrial food chain
The terrestrial food chain is the process through which the necessary nutrients and energy are transferred from one living organism to another. All terrestrial living beings need each other to survive, for this reason the food chain of animals varies according to the ecosystem, and can then be terrestrial or aquatic.
The terrestrial food chain is made up of links, which explain in general terms how this process is carried out:
- First link: it is made up of autotrophic or producer organisms, they are those that, through photosynthesis, transform the energy of water and soil into useful energy for plants and plants.
- Second link: heterotrophs or consumers are grouped at this level, that is, they are organisms that feed producers who need nutrition and energy to survive.
- Third link: this group is made up of decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, that live in the soil and feed on consumers who have ended their life and die. These decomposers can attack at any link.
Types of consumers
Consumers are classified according to the order in which they are located in the food chain;
Primary consumers
Within this group are the animals that feed on plants and are called primary consumers (scientific name phytophagous). They are the ones that obtain their energy and nutrients by feeding only on producers, such as herbivorous animals and insects. These, in turn, are food that are known as secondary consumers or carnivores.
Secondary consumers
They are organisms that feed only on primary consumers, the most prominent being carnivorous or predatory animals.
Tertiary consumers
Within the tertiary consumers are the living beings or organisms that feed on the secondary ones and that are characteristically superior in that group, that is to say that they include the animals that exercise superiority over the rest, that is, the strongest of the ecosystem, for example, sharks, crocodiles, the lion, the bear, eagles, wolves, even the human being.
Aquatic food chain
If the terrestrial food chain with its plants, consumers, predators, decomposers is well understood, the aquatic environment is very different.
The sea's food chain is longer and some of its producers are microscopic. Producers are totally devouring, predators are usually larger than their prey. Humans, for their part, eat predators like hake and tuna. It is important to note that in the oceans, those responsible for photosynthesis are phytoplankton and algae.
The links in the aquatic food chain are as follows:
- First link-producers: it is formed by algae and plankton, also called phytoplankton.
- Second link-primary consumers: they are mostly herbivores and it is composed of protozoa or protozoa, small crustaceans, larvae of smaller animals.
- Third link - secondary consumers: this group is made up of carnivores, fish that feed on other smaller fish, squid, gulls and larger crustaceans.
- Fourth link-tertiary consumers: they are essentially omnivores, this group is made up of the largest fish, birds, aquatic mammals, sea lions and sharks.
- Decomposers: the bodies of tertiary consumers, as they are not attacked by predators, once they have died enter the decomposition process, generating the plankton of the first link.
The human being can be placed at the end of the consumers, because it can feed on large herbivores such as cows and why not even on a whale.
It can be said that the human food chain is omnivorous in nature, because it eats everything. The human diet is made up of a large number of primary foods such as fruits, grains, and vegetables. As well as consuming white and red meats that come from consumers of the first order.
According to studies, humans consume 28% of the energy produced by photosynthesis.
Trophic pyramid
In order to understand in detail how the food chain works and thus be able to work with it in a simpler way, it is common to represent it through the so-called trophic pyramid. This consists of an element in the shape of said geometric object, in which each of the aforementioned levels are ordered following a criterion that goes from highest to lowest. That is, in the upper part of it you can see the upper level, where the super predators are found and thus continue to descend until reaching the base of the pyramid where the beings called producers are located.
In a food chain, all organisms are of great importance. This indicates that with the disappearance of a link, the beings that follow it will not have food. In the same way, the living beings that are located in the level immediately before the missing link will begin to experience an overpopulation, since they will not have their predator. That is why the protection of ecosystems and all their components is very important.
