Food chain and Food web are part of Functional components of ecosystems.
Functional components of ecosystem include
- Food chain.
- Food web.
- Ecological Pyramids.
- Bio-geochemical cycles.
Food Chain
- The transfer of food energy through a sequence of eating and being eaten by the organisms in an ecosystem is termed as the food chain.
- Sequence of organisms that feed on one another, form a food chain.
Types of food chain
A. The grazing food chain
- It is the major food chain dominantly occurring in ecosystems the major source of energy for this chain is taken from the sun as plants carry out the process of photosynthesis in presence of sunlight.
- The green plants are known as primary producers, as they produce their own food through photosynthesis. These plants serve as a food source for herbivores, which are then consumed by carnivores higher up in the food chain.
- This food chain doesn’t consist of microbes or other decomposers; it is carried out by the macroscopic organism
Examples-
In Forest Ecosystem-
- Plant → Deer → Tiger
In Grassland Ecosystem-
- Grass → Insect → Sparrow → Snake → Hawk
2.Detritus food chain
- The detritus food chain starts from the dead organic matter such as dead bodies of animals or fallen leaves, which are eaten by microorganisms and then followed by detritus feeding organisms (detritivores).
3.Parasitic food chain-
- This type of food chain starts from big hosts and ends with parasitic organism.
- Cow → Worm→ Protozoa
4.Saprophytic food chain-
- This particular food chain commences with deceased organisms and concludes with decomposers, like bacteria.
- Dead organism→ Fungi → Bacteria
Food Web-
- It represents the all-possible transfer of energy and nutrients among the organisms in an ecosystem. Simple food chain rarely exists and food web is dominated in transfer of energy and nutrients.
Types of Food web
1.Connectedness webs-
- Connectedness webs are food webs that show feeding linkages among species.
- These are also known as topological food webs.
- They only indicate the presence or absence of a trophic interaction.
- Connectedness webs do not reveal the strength of the interaction or any changes in trophic relationships.
2.Energy flow webs-
- These quantify energy flow from one species to another.
- The connections between populations are quantified on the basis of flux of energy between a resource and its consumer.
3.Functional webs (or interaction food webs)-
- Functional webs, also known as interaction food webs, illustrate the significance of each species in preserving the coherence of a community and demonstrate their impact on the growth rate of other species populations.
Trophic cascade
- A trophic cascade is an ecological event that involves changes to the structure of an ecosystem resulting from changes to animals or plants at one or more levels of the food chain.
- Changes to ecosystems occur all the time for many different reasons. Volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts, and asteroid impacts all cause dramatic changes at different levels of the food chain.
- Trophic cascades require a minimum of three feeding levels to occur, and although there have been instances in nature where 4- or 5-level trophic cascades have been observed, they are relatively rare.
Significance of food chains and Food webs
- The food chains and food webs help understand the feeding relationships and the interactions between organisms in any ecosystem.
- Nutrient cycling and energy flow in an ecosystem takes place through food chains and food webs.
- Food chains keep a check on the population size of different organisms.
One Liner Question and answers on Ecosystem
What are the functional components of ecosystems?
The functional components of ecosystems include food chain, food web, ecological pyramids, bio-geochemical cycles.
What is a food chain?
A food chain is the transfer of food energy through a sequence of eating and being eaten by the organisms in an ecosystem.
What is the major source of energy for the grazing food chain?
The major source of energy for the grazing food chain is the sun, as plants carry out the process of photosynthesis in presence of sunlight.
What is a detritus food chain?
The detritus food chain starts from dead organic matter such as dead bodies of animals or fallen leaves, which are eaten by microorganisms and then followed by detritivores.
What is a parasitic food chain?
The parasitic food chain starts from big hosts and ends with parasitic organisms.
What is a saprophytic food chain?
A saprophytic food chain commences with deceased organisms and concludes with decomposers, like bacteria.
What is a food web?
A food web represents the all-possible transfer of energy and nutrients among the organisms in an ecosystem.
What are connectedness webs?
Connectedness webs are food webs that show feeding linkages among species and only indicate the presence or absence of a trophic interaction.
What are energy flow webs?
Energy flow webs quantify energy flow from one species to another and connections between populations are quantified on the basis of flux of energy between a resource and its consumer.
What is a trophic cascade?
A trophic cascade is an ecological event that involves changes to the structure of an ecosystem resulting from changes to animals or plants at one or more levels of the food chain.