Table of Contents
Is a shark a decomposer?
These are animals such as sharks (great white and tiger sharks). The things that eat sharks are decomposers such as fungi and bacteria.
Is a shark a consumer?
Some animals are called tertiary consumers. This means they eat secondary consumers. Tertiary consumers are often the “top predators” in a food chain. A shark is a tertiary consumer.
What trophic level is a shark?
Sharks are broadly perceived as apex predators within marine communities and, overall, with a mean trophic level of 4.0, occupy the same trophic level as marine mammals. [Trophic levels are calculated from knowledge of what and how much a shark eats.
How do sharks keep the ocean healthy?
As apex predators, sharks play an important role in the ecosystem by maintaining the species below them in the food chain and serving as an indicator for ocean health. They help remove the weak and the sick as well as keeping the balance with competitors helping to ensure species diversity.
What trophic level is tuna?
| TL | Example species | Trophic class |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | dolphinfish, tuna, wahoo | Top predator |
| 4 | scads, herring, flyingfish | Secondary consumer |
| 3 | predatory copepods, jellyfish, amphipods | Secondary consumer |
| 2 | Rotifers, filter-feeding copepods | Primary consumer |
What is a tiger shark’s diet?
Tiger sharks are known for eating almost anything, including other sharks, fish, seabirds, dolphins, sea turtles, rays and crustaceans. They have also been found with many non-food items in their stomachs, including metal objects, plastics, burlap sacks and other refuse.
Where are producers in the great white shark food web?
Producers are at the base, consumers and reducers above them, with the latter also being at the beginning of the food pyramid for enabling the food cycle. This is a food web specifically for the Great White Shark/Sharks.
What kind of food does a shark eat?
Predatory sharks prey on the sick and the weak members of their prey populations, and some also scavenge the sea floor to feed on dead carcasses. By removing the sick and the weak, they prevent the spread of disease and prevent outbreaks that could be devastating.
Can a shark eat a cannibal shark?
As for shark predators, one thing that will eat a shark is another shark—with big sharks chowing down on littler ones. In fact sharks can be cannibals, with the larger members of a species gobbling up their smaller neighbors and cousins.
What kind of shark will eat a dolphin?
But some of the largest and most dangerous sharks such as great whites and tiger sharks will eat dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, and other swimming mammals. As for shark predators, one thing that will eat a shark is another shark—with big sharks chowing down on littler ones.