Final answer:
In a food web, primary consumers like herbivores are essential in transferring energy to higher levels. For instance, krill that is eaten by various fish, which are then preyed upon by sharks, is an important energy source. Decomposers also contribute by recycling nutrients.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the food web and its components is essential in ecology. In any food web, there are primary producers which typically start the energy flow by making organic matter from inorganic substances.
Primary consumers that eat these producers are usually herbivores, and they are an important source of energy for higher trophic levels. In a typical food web, a consumer that plays a central role in transferring energy could be a herbivore that is widely preyed upon by multiple carnivores and omnivores.
Acquisition of Energy
For example, if in the food web, krill are a primary consumer eaten by several types of fish, which in turn are consumed by sharks, the krill would be an important source of energy within this web.
Decomposers also play a vital role by recycling nutrients from dead organisms back into the ecosystem, allowing the continual flow of energy.