Consumers That Eat Only Plants

Secondary Consumer Definition

Secondary consumers are organisms that swallow primary consumers for energy. Primary consumers are always herbivores, or organisms that only eat autotrophic plants. However, secondary consumers tin either be carnivores or omnivores. Carnivores only eat other animals, and omnivores swallow both institute and animal matter. Regardless of what a secondary consumer is, information technology nevertheless must have primary consumers in its diet to survive.

Examples of Secondary Consumers

Secondary consumers come in all shapes, sizes, and exist in practically every habitat on earth. Icy tundras, arid savannahs, and artic waters are merely some of the extreme environments secondary consumers alive in. Whether on land or in h2o, the one thing they have in common is the blazon of food they consume—master consumers.

Aquatic environments are capable of supporting several types of secondary consumers considering of the vast amount of food sources available. Piranhas are an example of aquatic omnivores that eat fish, snails, aquatic plants, and even birds. Smaller, less predatory sharks tin as well be considered secondary consumers considering larger sharks, whales, or fish often hunt them. If there were no aquatic secondary consumers, then primary consumers would have no population regulation. This would lead to the over-consumption of primary producers, like phytoplankton, which brand upwardly the starting time trophic level. Phytoplankton produce over 70% of earth'due south oxygen; without them (and other autotrophs like them) life could not exist.

Terrestrial habitats can vary greatly, from freezing habitats with beneath naught temperatures to virtually waterless desserts along the equator. Luckily, secondary consumers have adjusted to be in every type of ecosystem. Temperate regions are habitation to moles, birds, and other secondary consumers such equally dogs and cats. Long ago, even humans were considered secondary consumers because other mammals could easily hunt them. However, with the help of evolution and new applied science, humans are now considered the ultimate tertiary consumer.

What is unique nearly secondary consumers is that they can sometimes also exist considered primary or tertiary consumers depending on the environment. For instance, when squirrels eat nuts and fruits, it is a master consumer. If a squirrel switches to eating insects or babe birds, then it is considered a secondary consumer. This blazon of switching can occur at any time, in whatever environment, depending on food and predators in the area, as shown below.

Food web diagram

Function of Secondary Consumers

Secondary consumers are an important part of the food chain. They control the population of primary consumers by eating them for energy. Secondary consumers also provide energy to the tertiary consumers that chase them. Scientists keep track of the energy move through consumers past grouping them into tropic levels.
The almost self-sufficient organisms, like plants and other autotrophs, are on the bottom of the pyramid considering they can make their ain energy. This is the outset trophic level. Master consumers (herbivores) make upwards the second tropic level; secondary consumers make up the third tropic level, and so forth equally shown beneath:

Trophic levels

As the pyramid shows, energy is lost as it moves upwards trophic levels considering metabolic heat is released when an organism eats another organism. The bottom of the pyramid makes 100% of its own energy. By the time a secondary organism eats, they simply receive 1% of the original energy available.

In order to provide plenty energy to the top tiers of the pyramid, there must exist many more producers and plant-eaters than annihilation else. However, needing fewer secondary consumers does non brand them less important. There is a frail balance within the nutrient chain. If at that place are not enough secondary consumers, and so tertiary consumers face up starvation (or worse—extinction) because they would no longer accept a food supply. If at that place are too many secondary consumers, then they will eat more and more main consumers until they are on the brink of extinction. Both of these extremes would disrupt the natural order of life on Earth.

Ecological Pyramid

Types of Secondary Consumers

Secondary consumers can exist sorted into two groups: carnivores and omnivores.

Carnivores only swallow meat, or other animals. Some secondary consumers are large predators, simply even the smaller ones often eat herbivores bigger than they are in order to get enough energy. Spiders, snakes, and seals are all examples of cannibal secondary consumers.

Omnivores are the other type of secondary consumer. They eat both institute and fauna materials for energy. Bears and skunks are examples of omnivorous secondary consumers that both hunt casualty and eat plants. However, some omnivores are simply scavengers. Instead of hunting, they eat the backlog beast remains that other predators leave behind. Opossums, vultures, and hyenas are some animals that gain free energy through scavenging.

Quiz

i. Secondary consumers ofttimes:
A. Produce their own energy
B. Are strictly herbivores
C. Chase tertiary consumers
D. Feed on primary consumers

Answer to Question #ane

D is right. Secondary consumers eat primary consumers for energy.

2. Energy is:
A. Gained every bit trophic levels increase
B. Acquired when secondary consumers swallow producers
C. Lost every bit trophic levels increase
D. Merely gained through hunting prey

Answer to Question #two

C is correct. Energy tin exist gained in many ways, but it is e'er lost as trophic levels increase due to the metabolic heat released during metabolism.

3. Which of the following is in the correct guild based on trophic levels (everyman to highest):
A. Plant, Panthera leo, Squirrel
B. Squirrel, Plants, Eagle
C. Hawkeye, Squirrel, Constitute
D. Institute, Rabbit, Domestic dog

Respond to Question #3

D is correct. Plants are primary producers and vest in the first trophic level. Rabbits eat principal producers, so that puts them in the second trophic level. Dogs are secondary consumers, so they would be on the tertiary trophic level.