![]() ![]() They break down the dead organic material and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem. Detritivores such as earthworms, bacteria, and fungi are an important part of the food chain. Detritivores also consume other dead organic material, such as decaying animals, fungi, and algae. Some herbivores consume only dead plant material. Honeybees feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. Asian long-horned beetles tunnel deep into the heart of a tree and eat the wood there. The larvae, or young wormlike forms, of root weevils feed on roots. Aphids drink sap, a sticky fluid that carries nutrients through the plant. Others specialize in certain parts of the plant. Some, such as grasshoppers, will eat every part of a plant. Termites are insects that feed mostly on wood. Pandas, which feed almost exclusively on bamboo, are folivores. An animal that eats the leaves and shoots of trees is called a folivore. The koala, which is native to Australia, eats little besides the leaves of eucalyptus trees. They eat nothing but the fruit of palms and laurels. Oilbirds, which live in northern South America, are frugivores. An animal that specializes in eating fruit is called a frugivore. Other herbivores eat only one part of a plant. Black rhinoceroses also eat a variety of fruits, branches, and leaves. Elephants, for example, eat bark, leaves, small branches, roots, grasses, and fruit. Picky Eaters Some herbivores eat any plant matter they can find. Sheep, deer, giraffes, camels, and cattle are all ruminants. Finally, the digested food goes to the fourth chamber, which is similar to a human stomach. Chemicals in the second chamber digest the plant material further, and it goes into the third chamber. The animal then swallows the cud, and it goes into a second chamber of the stomach. ![]() This partially digested food is called cud. When the material is soft enough, the animal regurgitates the food and chews it again. There, specialized bacteria break down the food. When a ruminant chews up and swallows grass, leaves, and other material, it goes into the first chamber of its stomach, where it sits and softens. For the digestion of plant matter, ruminant stomachs have more than one chamber. A group of herbivores called ruminants have specialized stomachs. Carnivorous mammals, on the other hand, usually have long, sharp teeth that help them grab prey and rip it apart. These big teeth help them grind up leaves and grasses. Many herbivorous mammals have wide molars. Cell walls can make plant material difficult to digest. Unlike herbivores and other consumers, autotrophs have tough cell walls throughout their physical structure. Herbivores often have physical features that help them eat tough, fiberous plant matter. Carnivores and omnivores are secondary consumers. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are consumers. Carnivores, organisms that consume animals, and omnivores, organisms that consume both plants and animals, are the third trophic level.Īutotrophs are called producers, because they produce their own food. Herbivores, which eat autotrophs, are the second trophic level. Autotrophs, organisms that produce their own food, are the first trophic level. Organisms in the food web are grouped into trophic, or nutritional, levels. Herbivores are a major part of the food web, a description of which organisms eat other organisms in the wild. Herbivores range in size from tiny insects such as aphids to large, lumbering elephants. An herbivore is an organism that mostly feeds on plants. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |