Detritus food chain starts with
- AOption (a)
green plants
- BOption (b)
dead organic matter
- COption (c)
consumers
- DOption (d)
None of the above
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Correct answer
dead organic matter
Why this answer is correct
The correct answer is Dead organic matter.
- Detritus food chain is the type of food chain that starts with dead organic matter.
Two type of food chains are found in nature-
- Grazing Food Chain -
- The consumers starts with the food chain, utilising the plant as their food, constitute the grazing food chain.
- Detritus Food Chain -
- It starts from dead organic matter of decaying animals and plant bodies consumed by the microorganisms and then to detritus feeding organism called detritivores or decomposers and to other predators.
Key Points
- This dead organic matter gets decomposed by microorganisms.
- The organisms which feed on dead organic matter are known as detritivores as well as decomposers which in turn are eaten by the predators.
- Example-
- Dead organic wastes → Microorganisms → Decomposers
- In this representation, the food chain starts with the dead organic wastes.
- These wastes are consumed by microorganisms.
- These microorganisms are consumed by other detritivore organisms like snails, earthworms, etc.