Aquatic trophic pyramid with phytoplankton as primary producers, zooplankton as primary consumers, and planktivorous

and predatory fish as secondary and tertiary consumers. (Image credit: Diagram: David Elliott; Symbols: UMCES Integration and
Application Network)

What eats what?

Aquatic food webs are complex groups of organisms that perform different functions in the ecosystem. Phytoplankton are
small primary producers suspended in water. They use nutrients along with carbon dioxide to harness sunlight energy and
create biomass through the process of photosynthesis. Phytoplankton biomass is usually the primary food for other aquatic
organisms, including zooplankton. Zooplankton are small, heterotrophic organisms that feed on phytoplankton and other
zooplankton, and are themselves food for larger planktivores. In this way, the suns energy is transferred up aquatic food webs,
eventually feeding apex predators such as sharks and other large fish.
What factors shape food webs?
Aquatic food webs can be characterized by the number of trophic levels and the amount of biomass in each level. Nutrient
availability is central in shaping food webs. Plants require nutrients in specific quantities in order to photosynthesize and convert
nutrients into useable food. Low quantities of certain nutrients can limit the food energy available in the web. Another factor shaping
food webs is the amount of biomass in each trophic level. For example, a food web with many predators may have little prey
biomass than one with fewer predators, because the predators eat more of the prey.
Aquatic Food Chains
Introduction to aquatic food chains:
The components which are involved in the transference of food energy from producers (plants) to the higher consumers (carnivorous
animals) in the process of repeated eating and being eaten up is termed as food chain. A food chain is step-wise transfer of energy in
the form of food.
In this one type of organism are related to another for food. It forms a chain and always small in size. Food chain is constituted by
the combination of mainly three steps i.e. Producer, 1 st level of consumers and 2nd level of consumers. The 1st level of consumer
includes all the related herbivores and 2nd level of consumer includes omnivores.

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PRODUCERS PRIMARY CONSUMER SECONDARY CONSUMER TERTIARY CONSUMER DECOMPOSER

Aquatic Food Chains : Relation

The food chain cannot have more than five steps. The food-chain starts from the producer (Green plants). The next 2 nd step is
herbivores. The 3rd step is made by omnivores. The 4th step is made by the carnivores. The 5 th step is the bacterial level
(decomposers). The dead bodies of plants and animals are decomposed into simple forms by the decomposers i.e. bacteria. These
simple forms get mixed with the soil. In this way a food chain can have not more than five steps.
Aquatic Food Chain: The food chain which occurs in aquatic water is called aquatic food chain.
e.g. Algae Protozoa Small Insects Large aquatic Insects Small fish Large fish
In the aquatic food chain small algae is producer and zooplankton are herbivores i.e. primary consumer, small fishes are secondary
consumer and large fishes are tertiary consumer.
The main function of Aquatic food chain is that:

It depicts the structure of the living components of hydrosphere.

It transfers energy and materials.

Aquatic Food Chains : Calculation

For the aquatic food chain following amount of energy will available to big fish i.e.
Small Algae
(10,000 J)

Zooplankton

(10% of 10,000 J=1000 J)

Small Fish

(10% of 1000 J=100 J)

Big Fish
(10% of 100 J = 10 J)

Therefore the above calculation shows that the big fish will get only 10 J energy and zooplankton get more energy.
But man is disturbing the food chain and making it short. The shortening of food chain due to mans activities leads to imbalance in
the functioning of an ecosystem and ultimately the biosphere.

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