Difference between revisions of "Balance of nature"
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== Food chains == | == Food chains == | ||
| − | [[File:Food chain.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Food chain in a Swedish lake. Osprey feed on northern pike, which in turn feed on perch which eat bleak that feed on freshwater shrimp.] | + | [[File:Food chain.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Food chain in a Swedish lake. Osprey feed on northern pike, which in turn feed on perch which eat bleak that feed on freshwater shrimp.]] |
One animal feeds on another. For example, in a Swedish Osprey feed on northern pike, which in turn feed on perch which eat bleak that feed on freshwater shrimp. | One animal feeds on another. For example, in a Swedish Osprey feed on northern pike, which in turn feed on perch which eat bleak that feed on freshwater shrimp. | ||
Revision as of 07:39, 29 June 2012
- Topic in Gardening courses. By John Eagles.
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Food chains
One animal feeds on another. For example, in a Swedish Osprey feed on northern pike, which in turn feed on perch which eat bleak that feed on freshwater shrimp.
A food chain is a food pathway that links different species in a community. In a food chain, energy and nutrients are passed from one organism to another. Most food chains contain not more than six species.
Each of the levels in a food chain is called a trophic level. Each animal passes on about 10 percent of the energy it received. The rest is used in maintaining the body, in movement or it escapes as heat. So the amount of energy that is available decreases at each trophic level.
Therefore a food chain can be depicted as a pyramid, with few organisms at the top and many organisms at the bottom.[1]
Each species in a particular food chain is usually part of several different food chains. Different food chains interconnect in what is called a food web. Even in small ecosystems food webs can be very complicated.
See also
References
- ↑ The Balance of Nature: Food Chains & Webs 1998, Pennsylvania State University]
External links
- Food chain - Wikipedia
- The Balance of Nature: Food Chains & Webs 1998, Pennsylvania State University
