Which of the Following Constitutes a Food Chain?
Which of the Following Constitutes a Food Chain?
Question: Which of the following constitutes a food chain?
Answer
This sequence constitutes a food chain because each organism is eaten by the organism that follows it. It represents the transfer of food and energy through successive trophic levels.
Explanation
- Grass – Producer (1st trophic level)
- Grasshopper – Primary consumer (2nd trophic level)
- Frog – Secondary consumer (3rd trophic level)
- Snake – Tertiary consumer (4th trophic level)
- Hawk – Higher-level consumer
What Is a Food Chain?
A food chain is a sequence of organisms in which each organism serves as food for the next organism. It shows the movement of food and the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another.
A simple grazing food chain can be represented as:
Producer → Herbivore → Carnivore → Higher-level consumer
More Examples of Food Chains
Grass → Deer → Tiger
Phytoplankton → Zooplankton → Small fish → Large fish
Grass → Rabbit → Fox
Direction of the Arrow
In a food chain, the arrow indicates the direction of energy transfer.
For example:
Grass → Grasshopper
This means that energy stored in grass is transferred to the grasshopper when it feeds on grass.
Frequently Asked Questions
What constitutes a food chain?
A sequence of organisms connected by feeding relationships, such as Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk, constitutes a food chain.
What is the first trophic level in a grazing food chain?
Producers, such as green plants, form the first trophic level.
What does an arrow represent in a food chain?
An arrow represents the direction of energy flow from the organism being eaten to the organism that consumes it.
Quick Revision
Producer → Primary consumer → Secondary consumer → Higher-level consumer
Therefore, Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk is a valid example of a food chain.
