Question

(a) How is the grazing food chain different from the detritus food chain?
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Hint:

Energy flow connects the grazing and detritus food chains, ensuring ecosystem balance and nutrient recycling.

Answer 1

The grazing food chain begins with living producers like plants, transferring energy to herbivores and then to carnivores. The detritus food chain starts with decomposed organic matter, transferring energy to detritivores like earthworms and decomposers such as fungi and bacteria. Both food chains play essential roles in energy transfer, but the grazing food chain depends on photosynthesis, whereas the detritus food chain depends on organic waste decomposition. They interact, ensuring energy flow and nutrient recycling within ecosystems. % Quick tip