When we speak of the trophic chain or food chain, we refer to the transfer of food energy. The chain is made up of a first trophic level, which are the producers, followed by the different types of consumers and the last level ends with the decomposers.
In this interesting article by Ecologist Verde, information on a single trophic level, that of consumers, will be shown, especially primary consumers will be discussed in detail and some examples of trophic chains and their position will be shown. Keep reading and know what are primary consumers and examples of these.
What are primary consumers
The set of primary consumers is made up of the herbivorous species, that is to say, heterotrophic animals that feed on organic matter for energy. This organic matter is made by the producers, who are autotrophic organisms, such as photosynthetic plants, photosynthetic bacteria or chemosynthesizing bacteria. Producers within the food chain are the first link or the base and the primary consumer organisms They would be the second link in the chain and, in turn, the first link within the group of consumers.
We recommend that to better understand these concepts, also consult these other articles by Green Ecologist on the Difference between autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms with examples and Heterotrophic organisms: what they are, characteristics and examples.
Examples of primary consumers
Could you say what are the primary consumers within a food chain? Here are some examples of food chains with some of them.
- Some caterpillars They feed on plants, and these same caterpillars will serve as food for some smaller species of birds. Small birds are preyed upon by larger birds such as the hawk or eagle and when they die they will be decomposed by fungi and bacteria.
- The rabbits They are herbivorous animals that feed on grass and plants, and these are food for foxes and other medium-sized carnivorous species. When they die, they become food for some carrion birds, such as buzzards.
- The snails they are primary consumers that feed on leaves and plants and are food for mice, these secondary consumers being food for snakes, which in this example of the trophic chain would be tertiary consumers. Thus, if, for example, you wonder if the mouse is a primary or secondary consumer, bear in mind that it is classified as a secondary consumer because it is an omnivorous animal.
- Some insects, such as LocustAs they are primary consumers, they feed on leaves, and these insects will be food for insectivorous toads and toads for snakes. Snakes can be consumed by some species of mammals such as badgers, foxes, coyotes, among others.
- The sheep They feed on grass, they are prey for cougars, jaguars and wolves, secondary consumers, and when they die they end up decomposing by the action of bacteria and fungi.
- The butterfliesPrimary consumers feed on the nectar of flowers and are consumed by insects such as the praying mantis, which in turn is food for bats that end up being preyed upon by snakes.
- Different varieties of herbs are food for the zebras, which are primary consumers, and preyed upon by lions or crocodiles.
Also exist marine primary consumers and these are some of the food chains in which we can find them.
- The phytoplankton, a producer that we find in the sea, is food for small malacostraceous crustaceans, these are eaten by smaller fish, which will be preyed upon by larger ones such as the sardine, and the sardine preyed upon by the barracuda. When they die they are decomposed by scavengers like other decomposing crustaceans.
- The marine phytoplankton Zooplankton is consumed and this by species such as mussels, which will serve as food for the crabs and in turn these will be eaten by the seagulls.
- Marine phytoplankton serves as food for zooplankton, which is food for small fish and these are consumed by penguins preyed on by toothed whales.
If half of the primary consumers disappeared, what would happen?
The primary consumers or herbivorous animals they feed on biomass, if these disappeared they would cause large imbalances in the ecosystem:
- For example, many species of plants manage to spread their seeds thanks to herbivorous animals, the absence of these would limit these plant species from spreading and may be at risk of disappearing.
- However, it would not only have consequences for plant species, but also for omnivores and carnivores that feed on animals that are primary consumers, since they could become extinct by not having a way to feed themselves, thus producing a chain extinction because if they were If both primary and secondary consumers were greatly reduced or disappeared, it would also affect the superior consumers in the same way.
Other consuming organisms
Different trophic levels are distinguished in the trophic chain: producers, consumers and decomposers, but within consumers you can find different types. In this article we have talked about primary consumers, although in this section we will briefly talk about the rest of consumers:
- Secondary consumers: they are carnivorous animals that feed on beings that are primary consumers.
- Tertiary consumers: they are carnivorous animals that base their diet on other primary and secondary consumers, but have hardly any predators.
- Quaternary consumers: They are animals that are at the top of the trophic pyramid and feed on all consumers. These consumers can be known as super predators and are not stalked by other predators. An example of this consumer would be the human being.
- Parasites: They are plants or animals that bond with their prey to feed on it for a long time, usually without killing it, although it can greatly weaken it.
Below you can see an example of a pyramid of primary, secondary and tertiary consumers or higher. In addition, we invite you to read these other posts so that you learn more about the trophic relationships of ecosystems: definition and examples, what are food webs and examples and also trophic levels: what are they, what are they and examples.
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