Animal Interdependence
One of the most amazing things that can be observed in nature is that animals and plants and other living things are all interconnected in one large web known as a food web. Each organism has a role in the food web, and each one is a link in the chain of life. All food webs or chains begin with plants and end with a decomposer.
Plants begin all food webs because they are the only organism on earth that can create its own food. They are known as producers. This means that it isn't necessary for them to consume something else in order to grow and multiply. Because they start everything off, they are an incredibly important part of the food web. Apart from providing energy or food, however, plants also provide shade and shelter towards animals, furthering the interdependence among living things.
The next link in the chain system consists of consumers or animals. These animals are broken down into four groups. First there are herbivores, animals that eat grass and plants only. They are known as primary consumers because they consume the producers or the first part of the web. Second are the carnivores that eat herbivores. They are known as secondary consumers because they consume the primary consumers. Third are the carnivores that eat other carnivores. You can see them as tertiary consumers because they consume the third link of the chain.
The fourth group consists of omnivores. Humans fall into the category of omnivores, or an animal that eats both animals and plants. Omnivores are also considered consumers, though they do not have a specific place in the hierarchy. The four consumers are followed by the decomposers, mostly made of bacteria, fungi, and some insects. These organisms help decompose the remains of dead plants and animals, including humans by feeding off the decay. Once decomposition is done, the minerals and nutrients contained in the decomposed plant or animal returns to the soil or to the earth. These nutrients will later on be used by plants in order to grow healthy and strong, making them ready to be consumed. After decomposition, the cycle starts again.
As can be seen through the food chain or food web, animals and plants depend on each other in order to live and sustain life. They are interdependent. However, their interdependence also relies on the habitatthat these plants and animals are used to. Plants and animals are usually suited to their environment. Remember that in each new habitat, the basic food web remains, but the players can change. This means that you cannot take a giraffe and put it in desert conditions and expect them to survive. Food webs and food chains rely a lot on their habitats in terms of type of producers and amount of water available, as well as temperature or climate.
There are several types of habitats that you can study, and each one will have its unique food chain or food web. The popular habitats are: African grasslands, Australian grasslands, Antarctic habitat, marine habitat, the tropical rainforest, the dessert, and the woods and forests of the north. In future grades, you will see how all these different habitats are connected through the biosphere.
Next Article: Creating a Food Web
