aommaster Posted May 30, 2004 Posted May 30, 2004 Since food chains can be as long as you want them to be, I am wondering what is the longest 'natural' food chain. Also, I don't want humans to be counted in as they are omnivores and can interfere in any part of the food chain! What is the longest food chain known to man?
Skye Posted May 30, 2004 Posted May 30, 2004 They can't practically be as long as you want because alot of energy is lost as heat as energy is transfered up the food chain, and also that fluctuating productivity levels of the whole ecosystem are maginfied up through the ecosystem, which makes it harder for top level predators. Eventually there is so little energy left, and it is often lost in draughts, seasonal migrations, etc, that species living off those below have little chance of survival. I think around 4 or 5 levels is the upper limit. It's also important to remember that omnivores, parasites, scavengers, detritivores, etc all complicate matters.
aommaster Posted May 30, 2004 Author Posted May 30, 2004 Is there a food chain with 5 consumers? Not organisms though! What would be the 5 level of consumer be called? Because you have primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Qadternary, .....
Skye Posted May 30, 2004 Posted May 30, 2004 I'm sure you can think them up. I watched a documentary on Honey Badgers the other day. They often get eaten by leopards. They eat cobras and other snakes. Snakes eat rodents, rodents eat vegetation. So there you have five (plants, rodents, snakes, badger, leopard). Fifth would be quinary.
alt_f13 Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM. (It's a snake.) http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/
admiral_ju00 Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 damn you alt f14 for getting that song stuck in my head!!! rofl Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM.
aommaster Posted May 31, 2004 Author Posted May 31, 2004 If you don't stop, I'll personally come through ur computer screen and stab you. I have trying very, VERY hard not to get addicted to that song! badger, badger, badger...
YT2095 Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 a fly, a spider, a wasp, a bird, a cat, a dog, a bear, a hunter. there`s 8 [edit] I could have started with Grass and then a Cow that ate it and made poo for the fly, but I figured 8 was enough
schlieffen Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 This one's better and more catchy http://webpages.charter.net/redemption/banana/ Cellular Modular Interactive-odular
aommaster Posted May 31, 2004 Author Posted May 31, 2004 a fly' date=' a spider, a wasp, a bird, a cat, a dog, a bear, a hunter. there`s 8 [edit'] I could have started with Grass and then a Cow that ate it and made poo for the fly, but I figured 8 was enough Many things wrong with it. I don't really think that wasps eat spiders. On top of that, I am DEFINITELY sure that bears don't come across dogs and eat them! AND ON TOP OF THAT, NO HUMANS ALLOWED!
Cap'n Refsmmat Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 How's this: Flowers, little bugs, bigger bugs, birds, cats, dogs, parasites that kill the dog, worms (that eat the dead dog), birds, cats, dogs, parasites that kill the dog, worms (that eat the dead dog), birds, cats, dogs, parasites that kill the dog, worms (that eat the dead dog), birds, cats, dogs, parasites that kill the dog, worms (that eat the dead dog), birds, cats, dogs, and guess what? The same thing over and over.
aommaster Posted May 31, 2004 Author Posted May 31, 2004 Well, I'm trying to avoid the the use of decomposers as Skye said in the 1 reply
Crash Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 Skye you gotta get Banana Phone, and when banana phone meets Badgers....its classic
Skye Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 Ring badger mushroom bananaphone mushring bananadger ringmushbadphonebananananananana... By the way, there's wasps that paralyse spiders and leave them in mud nests with their eggs. The young hatch and eat the still-living spider.
Sayonara Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 Well, pretty much everything organic gets re-assimilated by some other consumer eventually, so the question that will most affect the 'validity' of any chain we can come up with is: "How much of an organism's mass has to pass on to the next trophic level before we consider the chain to be broken?" This is of course assuming we consider each trophic level to be a link in the chain, rather than counting all consumers in the web.
aommaster Posted June 1, 2004 Author Posted June 1, 2004 So, it can basically go on forever. Is that what you mean? If that is the case, then, how many consumers can exist until it can go no further?
Glider Posted June 1, 2004 Posted June 1, 2004 Many things wrong with it. I don't really think that wasps eat spiders. On top of that, I am DEFINITELY sure that bears don't come across dogs and eat them! AND ON TOP OF THAT, NO HUMANS ALLOWED! Dogs don't eat cats either.
aommaster Posted June 1, 2004 Author Posted June 1, 2004 There you have it! I missed that out actually!
YT2095 Posted June 1, 2004 Posted June 1, 2004 Wasps do in fact eat spiders, I`ve seen it many times ( wild dogs will kill and eat even large mountain cats that are caught alone, and many a bear has killed a wild dog, although I`m sure if they eat them? but they`re not suposed to eat people either (like sharks) but it`s been known!
aommaster Posted June 1, 2004 Author Posted June 1, 2004 Bears mainly feed on salmon, and veggies. They don't really intend on killing other animals unless it is for the defence of their young. Also, it is VERY unlikely that in the environment that you are talking about, that a mountain cat would eat birds as a part of its regular diet. It would be bigger animals.
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