Question

Give an example of an aquatic food chain.

Answer 1

Hint: A food chain is a network of links in a food web that begins with producer organisms and ends with an apex predator, detritivore, or decomposer species. A food chain also demonstrates how organisms are related to one another through the food they consume. Each trophic level is represented by a different level of a food chain.

Complete answer:
Trophic levels are classifications of organisms in food chains. These levels are roughly classified as producers (first trophic level), consumers (second, third, and fourth trophic levels), and decomposers. Producers, also known as autotrophs, are organisms that produce their food.

In an ecological community, food webs describe who eats whom. In comparison to terrestrial environments, marine environments have inverted biomass pyramids at the base. Consumer biomass (copepods, krill, shrimp, forage fish) is significantly greater than primary producer biomass.

Aquatic food webs are built on phytoplankton and algae. Primary consumers such as zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans consume them. Fish, small sharks, corals, and baleen whales eat the primary consumers.

Some examples of the aquatic food chain are:
Phytoplankton ⇒ copepod ⇒ fish ⇒ squid ⇒ seal ⇒ orca ⇒ brittle star
Phytoplankton ⇒ Zooplankton ⇒ small fish ⇒ large fish (Large food chain)
Algae ⇒ catfish ⇒ osprey (Small food chain)
Algae ⇒ mosquito larva ⇒ dragonfly larva ⇒ fish

Note: Humans play an important role in these food webs as one of the top predators. It is our responsibility to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries and to avoid polluting the ocean with toxins that bioaccumulate in food webs.