9. Analyse the Moreton Bay food web to show feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem and how energy flows into and out of an ecosystem.

Answer 1

The Moreton Bay food web is a complex network of feeding relationships between organisms that inhabit the marine ecosystem. The food web consists of various trophic levels, including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. Each level is dependent on the level below it for energy.

Producers, such as phytoplankton and seagrasses, are the foundation of the food web. They convert sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Primary consumers, such as zooplankton, sea snails, and sea urchins, feed on the producers. Secondary consumers, such as fishes, crabs, and marine mammals, feed on the primary consumers. Tertiary consumers, such as sharks and dolphins, feed on the secondary consumers.

Energy flows through the food web in a unidirectional and linear manner. Producers produce energy, which is transferred to primary consumers when they consume the producers. This energy is then transferred from primary consumers to secondary consumers when they eat the primary consumers. The energy is transferred further to tertiary consumers when they eat secondary consumers. With each transfer, energy is lost as heat through metabolism and respiration.

Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, play a crucial role in the ecosystem by breaking down dead organisms and organic matter, releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem for use by producers, starting the cycle again.

The Moreton Bay food web illustrates how energy flows through an ecosystem and how organisms are interdependent on each other for survival. Any disruption to one level can have significant impacts on other levels and the entire ecosystem. For example, overfishing of species at the top of the food chain can lead to an increase in the population of their prey species, which can result in a decrease in the population of primary consumers and ultimately, producers. This disruption can have a cascading effect throughout the ecosystem, impacting biodiversity and ecosystem stability.