[5 Mark Question Answer]

Question 15 Marks

Define the food chain and give two examples.

Answer

Food chain, in ecology, the sequence of transfers of matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism. Food chains intertwine locally into a food web because most organisms consume more than one type of animal or plant. Plants, which convert solar energy to food by photosynthesis, are the primary food source. In a predator chain, a plant-eating animal is eaten by a flesh-eating animal. In a parasite chain, a smaller organism consumes part of a larger host and may itself be parasitized by even smaller organisms. In a saprophytic chain, microorganisms live on dead organic matter.

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Question 25 Marks

Define a consumer and give two examples.

Answer

Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms for food. Consumers are further classified into primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.
$1.$ Primary consumers are always herbivores that they rely on producers for food. Examples of primary consumers are zooplankton, butterflies, rabbits, giraffes, pandas, and elephants.
$2.$ Secondary consumers depend on primary consumers for energy. They can either be a carnivore or an omnivore. Examples of secondary consumers are earwigs, ants, badgers, snakes, rats, crabs, hedgehogs, blue whales, lions, and humans.
$3.$ Tertiary consumers are organisms that depend on secondary consumers for food. Tertiary consumers can also be an omnivore. Examples of tertiary consumers are hawks, snakes, crocodiles, and some big cats.
$4.$ Quaternary consumers are present in some food chains. These organisms prey on tertiary consumers for energy. Furthermore, they are usually at the top of a food chain as they have no natural predators. Examples of quaternary examples are the white shark and alligator.

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BIOLOGY [5 Mark Question Answer]

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