Question

Observe the picture given below and explain the food chain regarding each component present in it.

Answer 1

Hint: Each component in a food chain is placed at a specific trophic level. The trophic levels are divided on the basis of their source of nutrition for example plants that derive their energy from sunlight are placed in the first trophic level.

Complete Answer:
Organisms are placed in a particular position in their natural surroundings according to their feeding relationship with other organisms. This particular position is known as their trophic level. Producers belong in the first trophic level, whereas the herbivores that eat producers belong to the second, and carnivores that eat herbivores belong to the third trophic level.
The first component of the food chain shown in the image is maize which is a producer as it makes its own food through photosynthesis. Thus it belongs to the first trophic level and is known as the producer.
The second component of the food chain is the grasshopper which feeds on this maize plant and thus it is an herbivore. It belongs to the second trophic level and is known as the primary consumer.
The third component of the food chain is the lizard that feeds on the grasshopper thus it is a carnivore. It belongs to the third trophic level and is known as the secondary consumer as it feeds on the primary consumer.
The fourth and last component of the food chain is the snake which feeds on the lizard and thus it is a top carnivore. It belongs to the fourth trophic level and is known as the tertiary consumer as they feed on the secondary consumer.

Note:
-There is a unidirectional flow of energy between the successive levels of the food chain.
-Sun is the source of energy for all ecosystems except for the deep-sea hydrothermal ones.
-There is a 10% energy law which states that only 10% of the energy in a trophic level is passed on to the next level.