Food Chain

Food Chain

The chain of food energy in the ecosystem from one group of  organism to the other group of organism through a series of steps or level is called food chain. 

 The transfer of food energy from one group of organism to the other group is called tropic level .

  

 Tropic Level of Food Chain

• Producer
• Consumer                 

                           1. Primary Consumers

                           2. Secondary Consumer

                           3. Tertiary Consumer

                           4. Quaternary Consumer

• Decomposer

Types of Food Chain

         

                 1. Grazing food chain

• It starts from green plant base, goes to grazing herbivores and on to carnivores. 
• Most of the ecosystem in nature follow this type of food chain and depend on influx of solar radiation.                 

           Autotroph> herbivore>primary carnivore> secondary carnivore

    

                2.   Detritus Food Chain

• This food chain starts from dead organic matter and goes to microorganisms and then to detritivores. The dead organic matter like leaf, decaying roots etc. are acted upon by the organism detritivores and decomposers.
• The decomposers include bacteria and fungi.
• A good example of detritus food chain was studied by Odum in the fallen mangrove leave estuaries.