Match the following  (a) Herbivorous  (i) Third tropical level  (b) Carnivorous  (ii) Primary consumers  (c) Producers  (iii) feeds on dead remains  (d) Decomposer  (iv) Prepare food from solar energy

Herbivorous

• All animals depend on plants (directly or indirectly) for their food needs.
• They are hence called consumers and also heterotrophs.
• If they feed on the producers, the plants, they are called primary consumers.
• Obviously, the primary consumers will be herbivores.
• Some common herbivores are insects, birds, and mammals in the terrestrial ecosystems and molluscs in the aquatic ecosystem.

Carnivorous

• The consumers that feed on these herbivores are carnivores, or more correctly primary carnivores (though secondary consumers).
• Those animals that depend on the primary carnivores for food are labelled secondary carnivores.
• Carnivorous form the third tropical level.

Producers

• The green plant in the ecosystem is called producers.
• Producers prepare food from solar energy(sun).
• In a terrestrial ecosystem, major producers are herbaceous and woody plants.
• Likewise, producers in an aquatic ecosystem are various species like phytoplankton, algae and higher plants.

Decomposer

• The detritus food chain (DFC) begins with dead organic matter.
• It is made up of decomposers which are heterotrophic organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria.
• They meet their energy and nutrient requirements by degrading dead organic matter or detritus.
• These are also known as saprotrophs (sapro: to decompose).
• Decomposers secrete digestive enzymes that break down dead and waste materials into simple, inorganic materials, which are subsequently absorbed by them.

Therefore the correct option is 2 (a - ii, b - i, c - iv, d - iii).