All living organisms make up a single, interconnected system. All of them are subject to certain laws of nature, the violation of which sometimes leads to irreversible phenomena. The food chain is one example of the connections between organisms. It has a very complex structure and unites representatives of many species of the plant and animal world.
The food chain is a sequence of different types of living organisms connected by the food – consumer relationship. During this process, the extraction of energy and organic substances from the previous participant is appreciated by the subsequent one. In another way, one can say that the food chain is the transfer of energy through a certain number of organisms by eating each other. These connections are called trophic.
Each food chain of animals and other organisms is divided into several levels, which are also called trophic.
As a rule, the first level is made up of representatives of the plant world, that is, green plants, mushrooms and algae. Followed by animals that feed on plant foods. The next trophic level is carnivores. They feed on herbivorous fauna.
The food chain can consist of several levels, but usually it includes 3-4 links. This is determined by the fact that most of the energy goes to supporting the processes of vital activity and growth of the body. Therefore, each subsequent level is less than the previous one, and the number of participants is reduced. The ratio here is this: about a ton of plants accounts for 100 kilograms of animals that eat them. Carnivores in this chain will be 10 kilograms of biomass, and the next level will be 1 kilogram of a substance synthesized from biomass.
So the ecological pyramid is formed. It shows the number of animals, energy or biomass that the food chain has at each level.
Naturally, each link of a higher level includes individuals of a larger size. But at the same time, large organisms develop more slowly and compete with each other. It is worth noting that they have fewer enemies and are exterminated much less frequently. The main factor holding back their development is the limited amount of food and limited territory.
Lower types of food chain organisms are less restricted in nutrition, but are subject to significant extermination.
Different types of food chains are distinguished depending on their composition.
1. Pasture chains are a series of links that begin with plants. They are found mainly in marine open spaces and in terrestrial ecosystems. For example, plants absorb the energy of the sun and are a food source for insects (a butterfly absorbs nectar). In turn, the dragonfly eats butterflies, and itself is food for the frog. For a frog, danger poses a danger that could become a victim of another predator. This is an example of the movement of organic substances along the food chain.
2. The detrital food chain is a decomposition chain. It begins with the decomposition products of plants, animals. Such chains are widely represented in water bodies, oceans and lakes. So, many of their inhabitants use dead organisms, their excrement or decay products (leaves from coastal trees) that have come from outside.
3. Parasitic chains are composed of organisms, due to which first-order parasites live, etc.
All processes in nature are interconnected. Disruptions in food chains lead to disruptions throughout the ecosystem. Each living organism occupies its niche in these relations. It does not depend on the level or size of the individual.