<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >
  • Card 15 / 36:
    Compare grazing and detrital food webs. Why would they both be present in the same ecosystem?

    Grazing food webs have a primary producer at their base, which is either a plant for terrestrial ecosystems or a phytoplankton for aquatic ecosystems. The producers pass their energy to the various trophic levels of consumers. At the base of detrital food webs are the decomposers, which pass this energy to a variety of other consumers. Detrital food webs are important for the health of many grazing food webs because they eliminate dead and decaying organic material, thus, clearing space for new organisms and removing potential causes of disease. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers also make mineral nutrients available to primary producers; this process is a vital link in nutrient cycling.

  • Keyboard Shortcuts

    Previous Card ← Previous Card Button
    Next Card → Next Card Button
    Flip Card // Return / Space

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, 101-nya-05 - general biology i. OpenStax CNX. Jul 22, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11849/1.2
Flash Cards plugin by Curtis Blackwell github.com/curtisblackwell/flash_cards
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the '101-nya-05 - general biology i' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask