Balance in Nature
Whether, it is an ocean, a forest or a pond, there is a chain in which the larger animals eat the smaller ones, in every habitat.
In a particular habitat or a living area, many plants and animals live together. They are all interlinked with each other, and with the environment in which they live. Some habitats may be very small like a pond. While some like oceans or forests may be large. It is very interesting to learn the relationship that all living things share with one another.
Life in any habitat begins with the Sun. Without the Sun, plants will not be able to make food. Using Sun's energy, plants convert water and carbon dioxide into starch that is stored as food. This process is called photosynthesis. It also helps the plants to grow. Since, plants are the only living things that can make their own food, that are called nature's primary producers.
The primary and secondary consumers of science:
Green plants are eaten by many kinds of animals. The rabbit, deer, squirrel as well as all the grazing animals such as cow, sheep and goat are plant eaters. They are known as herbivores.
All these animals, which eat food made by plants, are called primary consumers.
The primary consumers such as a rabbit, a caterpillar or a deer become food for animals like shark in the ocean or a lion in the forest. Animals that feed on the flesh of other animals are called carnivores. Carnivores are also called secondary consumers.
In a habitat, we have a chain of who eats whom. The plants are eaten by herbivores and herbivores are eaten by carnivores. This is not the end of the chain. When the carnivores die that are eaten by scavengers.The relationship between the plants and the animals that eat them is called a food chain. It follows a single path, as animals find food.
E.g. grain, a primary producer, is eaten by a mouse which is a primary consumer. Owl that eats the mouse is the secondary consumer.
The relationship between the various living beings in an ecosystem in the form of a chain, based purely on feeding is known as a food chain. The food chain in carnivores is defined as the food chain contains only three steps for the food chain. The first one is the primary producer and second one is the primary consumer and third one is the secondary consumer.
The solar energy is trapped by the producers.
Plants use this solar energy in reducing carbon from carbon dioxide.
The carbon dioxide is used in manufacturing food in the form of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
For example take a food chain in the grassland forest.
In grassland there are lots of grasses.
The grass is eaten by deer (primary consumer).
The deer is eaten by the lion (secondary consumer).
The above food chain tells us that the grass is the starting point of a food chain.
The grass is the producer organism which uses the sunlight energy to prepare food such as carbohydrates by the process of the photosynthesis.
The grass is consumed by the deer which are herbivores.
The deer is consumed by the lion which are herbivores.
Example 2 for food chain carnivores:
The above food chain diagram is also the example for the food chain carnivores.
The above food chain tells us that the trees are the starting point of a food chain.
The tree is the producer organism which uses the sunlight energy to prepare food such as carbohydrates by the process of the photosynthesis.
The tree is consumed by the giraffe which are herbivores.
The giraffe is consumed by the lion which are herbivores.
Food web of nature science:
Though all food chains may appear to be separate, they are actually interconnected in a large and complex food web. Food webs show how plants and animals are interconnected in many ways to help them all survive.
Keeping the Balance
Food chains are a way of keeping the balance in nature. Each link in the food chain is important. Imagine a simple food chain like the following:
grass -------> deer -----------> lion
If tiger is hunted excessively by man and their number goes down, the deer population will increase tremendously. When deer are born in large numbers and live freely they will eat away all plants and grass and a forest might become a desert!
Dependence of Plants and Animals
Each animal and bird species is important to maintain nature's balance. Animals and plants depend on each other. Without plants there would be no food and oxygen. Without animals, plants would not get carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Many insects play an important role in pollination of seeds. Carnivores help to prevent many herbivores population from increasing excessively. Hawks and eagles clean up by eating dead animals.
Both plants and animals depend on man to let them live. By cutting down forests, we destroy the plants as well as homes of various animals living in them. When humans hunt some animals excessively, their population decreases and at times they disappear completely.
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