Chapter 13 Our Environment Questions-01
Questions
1. What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state the different trophic levels in it.
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Answer
A trophic level is the level of species in an ecosystem on the basis of the source of nutrition such as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, etc.
The producers form the first trophic level as they manufacture food. The primary consumers form the second trophic level, the secondary consumers form the third, and the tertiary consumers form the fourth trophic level.
Trophic levels:
Various trophic levels are connected through food chains. For example, in an aquatic food chain, phytoplanktons are the producers, zooplanktons are the primary consumers, and small fish is the secondary consumer and so on.
Aquatic food chain
2. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?
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Answer
Decomposers include micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi that obtain nutrients by breaking down the remains of dead plants and animals. They help in the breakdown of organic matter or biomass from the body of dead plants and animals into simple inorganic raw materials, such as $CO 2, H 2 O$, and some nutrients.
