Consider the following statements regarding the food chain: 1. In the grazing food chain, the primary source of energy is living plant biomass. 2. In the detritus food chain, the source of energy is dead organic matter Which among the following above given statements is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding the food chain: 1. In the grazing food chain, the primary source of energy is living plant biomass. 2. In the detritus food chain, the source of energy is dead organic matter Which among the following above given statements is/are correct? Correct Answer Both 1 and 2

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Important Points

• The consumers which start the food chain, utilizing the plant or plant part as their food, constitute the grazing food chain. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • The food chain begins from green plants at the base and the primary consumer is a herbivore.
• The Detritus food chain starts from dead organic matter of decaying animals and plant bodies consumed by the microorganism and then to detritus feeding organisms called detrivores or decomposers and to other predators. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The distinction between these two food chains is the source of energy for the first level consumers.
• The two food chains are linked.
• The initial energy source of the detritus food chain is the waste materials and dead organic matter from the grazing food chain.