Question

Food chains represent oversimplifications of producer-consumer relationships. Indicate if the following statements about interactions among trophic levels are true or false in explaining the complexity of these interactions.a. Plants may be consumed by many different species, which in turn are the potential prey of many other different species. b. Energy flows both from producers to consumers and from consumers to producers, which makes it difficult to depict relationships in a linear food chain. c. Species can be in more than one trophic level (e.g, might be both a primary and secondary consumer) d. While consumers get most of their energy by eating other organisms, most are also capable of producing their own food, blurring the line between producers and consumers. e. Decomposers might feed on plant leaves or branches that have fallen to the ground. making them primary consumers, but they might also feed on animal carcasses, making them secondary consumers. f. Decomposers are thought to be at the base of complex food webs, whereas producers are depicted as the base of most food chains.

Answer 1

a. Plants may be consumed by many different species, which in turn are the potential prey of many other different species: This statement is true because the plants are autotrophic organisms, they manufacture their food from sunlight and carbon dioxide, they are consumed by several species of animals that need to eat them in order to survive and perform all vital functions. The plants are called producing organisms and who are the consumers are primary that covers several species such as rabbits, cows, crickets and turtles. These primary consumers are consumed by other animals.

b. Energy flows both from producers to consumers and from consumers to producers, which makes it difficult to depict relationships in a linear food chain: This statement is false because in the food chains the energy flows unidirectionally, from the producers to the consumers, since it is the consumers who feed on the producers.

c. Species can be in more than one trophic level (e.g, might be both a primary and secondary consumer): This statement is true because omnivorous organisms, that is, those that eat plants and animals, can be both primary and secondary consumers, for example.

d. While consumers get most of their energy by eating other organisms, most are also capable of producing their own food, blurring the line between producers and consumers:This statement is false because consumers are heterotrophic organisms which means that they need nutrients and energy from other animals or plants.

e. Decomposers might feed on plant leaves or branches that have fallen to the ground. making them primary consumers, but they might also feed on animal carcasses, making them secondary consumers: This statement is false because the decomposers and their feeding of plant and animal remains do not determine the categorization as consumers because they eat decomposing organic matter.

f. Decomposers are thought to be at the base of complex food webs, whereas producers are depicted as the base of most food chains: This statement is false because a food web consists of several interconnected food chains, which always have production organisms at their base.