Chapter 2, Problem 34A

Summary Introduction

To clarify:

Meaning of the given statement

Introduction : Ecologists use food chains and food webs to study the flow of energy through an ecosystem. Food chains and food webs represent flow of energy through various trophic levels. Organisms at each trophic level get their energy from the trophic level below it.

Answer to Problem 34A

The fox eats mice and is dependent on mice for its energy requirements. The mice in turn depend on producers (green plants) for food. Without grass, there would be no mice and therefore no foxes. So grass is indirectly very important to a fox too.

Explanation of Solution

Nutrients are cycled through the biosphere through organisms. In most ecosystems, plants obtain nutrients from the air, soil and water. They convert the nutrients into organic molecules. The green grass captures the nutrients from soil, air and water and converts them into usable nutrients. When the mice feed on the grass, it gets the nutrients. If the mice are eaten by a carnivore such as a fox, the nutrients are transferred from mice to the fox. Hence, the nutrients are passed from producer to consumer.

The grass is as important to the fox as to the mice because the fox depends on mice for nutrients and mice depend on grass for nutrients. If there would be no grass, both mice and fox would perish.