2. Trip to zoo
A few days earlier, I had been to zoo with my cousins. My younger cousin who was there for
the first time was wondering what all those animals eat. So I explained him the food chain
properly and all the components of it.
I started from what the food chain is - I continued simply and precisely.
“The transfer of food energy from the producers, through a series of organisms
(herbivores to carnivores to decomposers) with repeated eating and being eaten, is
known as Food Chain.
Then he raised the question, What are herbivores , Carnivores and all that ?
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3. 3
Components of Food Chain
● Producers - Base of the Food Chain.
● Herbivores - Feed on Producers.
● Omnivores - Feed on both plants and animals.
● Carnivores - Feed on herbivores, omnivores, & other carnivores
○ 1st level Carnivores - Feed on Herbivores.
○ 2nd level Carnivores - Feed on 1st level carnivores.
● Decomposers - They are final consumer group. They use the energy in dead plant
and animals. They transform organic material into inorganic.
4. 4
Primary Producers Plants , Protists , Bacteria etc.
Primary Consumers All herbivores - Cows , Deer , Buffalo etc
Secondary Consumers Carnivores and Omnivores - Bears , Snake ,
Frogs etc
Tertiary Consumers All Big cats - Lion , Tiger, Jaguars etc
Apex Predator All Tertiary consumer comes under this.
Decomposers Fungi , earthworms , some bacteria etc.
Examples