The trophic chains are analyzed and studied within a branch of biology, ecology. This science studies the relationships established between the environment and organisms, as well as the connections that may occur between different species.
A very important relationship is the one that takes place through nutrition How some organisms feed on others, or on their waste, and thus matter and energy can travel. For this reason, in this article on our site we talk about the terrestrial food chain Keep reading to find out what it is!
What is a terrestrial food chain?
Food chains, in ecology, refer to the transfer of energy and matter that passes from one organism to another. In addition, they take into account the energy that is lost, through respiration, in each group of organisms. Terrestrial food chains are those that involve terrestrial organisms, that is, plant and animal species that carry out their vital functions outside the aquatic environment.
Within a terrestrial food chain we find:
- Producing organisms: these are the individuals, usually plants, that transform inorganic matter into organic matter. They are the beings that start the chain.
- Primary consumers: are the animals that feed on the entire producer organisms or on some of their parts, such as the leaves, roots, seeds or fruits. They are generally herbivorous animals, although omnivorous animals also eat plants.
- Secondary consumers or mesopredators: these are predatory animals that hunt and feed on primary consumers or herbivores. Therefore, they are carnivorous animals.
- Tertiary consumers or super predators: These animals can feed on both herbivores and primary consumers. They are essential in ecosystems since, in many cases, they act as "umbrella" organisms, preventing the overpopulation of habitual predators and the consequent imbalance of the ecosystem.
In ecosystems there are no simple food chains where we find an individual of each link, but there will be many related chains among themselves forming what which is known as "food web".
Difference between terrestrial and aquatic food chain
Each ecosystem has its own food chains, formed by the animals and plants that live in that biome. A food chain of a terrestrial ecosystem differs from an aquatic food chain in that the second is made up of beings that inhabit aquatic environments and the first, terrestrial beings.
Occasionally, both chains can be related in the same food web, that is, aquatic beings can be preyed upon by terrestrial animals and vice versa. For example, the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), which is part of the terrestrial environment, feeds on small fish that live in the aquatic environment. Another good example would be the archerfish (Toxotes sp.), which hunt insects that fly over or perch on plants near the surface of the water.
Example of a terrestrial food chain
The number of examples of terrestrial food chains are practically countless. In addition, new relationships are discovered every day as different species are further studied. Next, we show you two examples of a terrestrial food chain:
Example 1
Marigold (Calendula officinalis) à European bee (Apis mellifera) à European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) à Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
In this example of a terrestrial food chain, the marigold is the producing organism. The bee, only feeds on the pollen and nectar of the flower. The bee-eater is a bird that specializes in hunting bees, although it can also prey on other insects. Lastly, the fox, although it does not hunt the adult specimens, it attacks the nests that these birds build on the ground, preying on the hatchlings' eggs.
Example 2
Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) to Alaskan Moose (Alces alces gigas) to Snowy Fox (Vulpes lagopus) to Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
The Sitka spruce is a conifer whose cones feed the mooseThis is not directly hunted by the snowfox , but it could eat the remains of a carcass. The wolf is an apex predator that commonly preys on both moose and foxes.
