A food web in a tropical rainforest shows how different organisms depend on each other for food. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
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Producers:
- Plants (e.g., trees and ferns) use sunlight to make food.
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Primary Consumers (Herbivores):
- Animals that eat plants (e.g., monkeys, insects, sloths, toucans).
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Secondary Consumers (Carnivores):
- Animals that eat herbivores (e.g., snakes, frogs, small birds of prey).
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Tertiary Consumers (Top Predators):
- Animals that eat other carnivores (e.g., jaguars, large birds of prey, crocodiles).
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Decomposers:
- Fungi and bacteria that break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil.
Flow of Energy: Sunlight → Plants → Herbivores → Carnivores → Top Predators → Decomposers
Each organism is important for keeping the ecosystem balanced.