Journal of Aquaculture Research & Development

Food Web in Marine Life

Rakshitha Kotha^* Department of Biochemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
^*Correspondence: Rakshitha Kotha, Department of Biochemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, Tel: +32-466-90-05-61, Email:

Received: 06-Oct-2021 Published: 27-Oct-2021, DOI: 10.35248/2155-9546.21.12.661

Commentary

Food web
Phytoplankton and algae form the bases of aquatic food webs. They are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. Primary consumers are in turn eaten by fish, small sharks, corals, and baleen whales. Humans consume aquatic life from every section of this food web. In an ecological community, food webs describe who consumes whom. Food webs, which are made up of interconnected food chains, can help us understand how changes to ecosystems, such as the removal of a top predator or the addition of nutrients, affect a wide range of species both directly and indirectly.
Aquatic food webs are supported by phytoplankton and algae. Primary consumers such as zooplankton, tiny fish, and crabs devour them. Fish, tiny sharks, corals, and baleen whales all devour the primary consumers. Huge sharks, billfish, dolphins, toothed whales, and large seals are among the top ocean predators. Humans eat aquatic creatures from all parts of the food system. The marine ecosystem is made up of a complex web of interconnected energy providers, such as plants and phytoplankton, and consumers, such as plant-eaters and flesh-eaters, large and small. The food web connects the majority of marine animals. A food web is a collection of linked food networks. A food chain is a collection of animals and plants from top to bottom.
Producers
The lowest trophic level, the base of the aquatic food web, is formed by primary producers, which include bacteria, phytoplankton, and algae. Primary producers generate their own energy and do not require food. Many plants photosynthesize, converting sunlight into carbohydrates.
Consumers
Copepods, rotifers, and larval stages of some fish and invertebrates are grazers that graze on phytoplankton as they drift through the water. Algae are grazed by larger animals such as marine snails, fish, reptiles, and mammals. Filter feeders take their food (plankton and debris) straight from the water and strain it. Scavengers
But what happens if something doesn't get eaten before it dies? Unconsumed creatures and animal parts descend to the bottom, where they can be eaten by bottom-dwelling scavengers such as crabs and lobsters. The organic stuff that remains is digested by microorganisms, and the trash that results is converted into nutrients that farmers can use. When a whale dies, a complete ecology emerges to absorb the newly available food.
Photoautotrophs
The ocean's food chain's bottom level is entirely unseen. Phytoplankton is made up of billions of single-celled creatures. These microscopic organisms can be found in sunlight upper-ocean waters all over the planet. Phytoplankton functions are similarly to plants.
Herbivores
Plant-eaters, often known as herbivores, make up the next level of the marine food chain. Many are tiny or so little that they go unnoticed by the naked eye. Zooplankton is the name given to these small animals.
Carnivores
Level two is zooplankton that feeds a huge number of tiny carnivores such as sardines, herring, and menhaden. These little carnivores are excellent predators. Predators at the top
The top, or apex, of the marine food chain is occupied by large predators. They are a diverse bunch. Finned creatures, such as sharks, tuna, and dolphins; feathered species, such as pelicans and penguins; and flipper animals, such as seals and walruses, are among them.